


A Thin Grey Line

by ImBeautifullyHuman



Category: Hunger Games (2012), Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: Detectives, F/M, Infidelity, Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-02-27
Updated: 2015-01-23
Packaged: 2017-12-03 20:12:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 57,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/702152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImBeautifullyHuman/pseuds/ImBeautifullyHuman
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes things aren't what they appear to be. And what we're looking for doesn't always come in the ideal package. Peeta is a private investigator. Katniss needs his help.</p><p>UPDATE: Title changed from DAMN FOOL.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Client

**Author's Note:**

> I've expanded Chapter 1 to a full chapter and will be continuing the story. Thanks for your positive feedback.

She didn't walk in so much as she...appeared. Peeta looked up from the computer screen to meet a pair of silver eyes swimming in olive skin. He hadn't even heard her walk in. And it was a good thing because if he had, he probably wouldn't have been able to keep from staring.

Her slender, athletic build caused her to look taller than she really was. The four-inch peep-toe pumps also helped in that regard. In actuality he could see that she was rather petite. Her tailored suit hugged every curve of her body. He was no fashion hound, but he knew expensive when he saw it. Since coming to LA he'd learned more about fashion than he cared to remember. It's all anyone talked about. Or thought about. Or cared about.

Her pumps were just sexy enough to avoid being slutty and just conservative enough to let you know that she meant business. Her fingernails and toenails were obviously professionally done as they were way too uniform and neat. Her dark hair, which was so shiny it was almost glassy, was swept up into a sleek bun that showed off the gentle curve of her neck. It was neat without being austere. There wasn't a hair out of place, except for the little wisps that clung to the back of her neck. He wondered whose fingers and lips had the privilege of sweeping them aside and kissing her there. Someone was obviously lucky enough to do just that based on the gigantic rock on her left hand. Lucky bastard!

Her dark red lipstick and tastefully done makeup only enhanced what he knew to be a natural beauty that lay beneath. Luscious lips, high cheekbones and a perfect nose like that cost a fortune here. But, something told him this was the work of pure genetics and not some scalpel. There was something about her barely-there smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, though. Maybe it was sadness. Peeta had seen enough distraught spouses to spot that. Aloofness, perhaps. But, something in her eyes bespoke a resignation beyond the possibility of confronting a potentially cheating husband. Or wife. It was L.A., after all. He didn't know why she was here, but if it was to catch a cheating husband the guy must be a damn fool.

"Jo Mason, please. Tell her Katniss is here."

It took a couple of seconds for her words to register as he was keyed in to the husky quality of her voice. Delly always said he had a thing for smoky, bedroom voices.

“Sure. Sure thing.”

Peeta jumped up from the desk and nearly fell over the chair in his haste to get Jo out here so he could find out just who this lovely creature was. He cursed the fact that she probably thought he was the assistant. He was just helping out by doing some of the work that was _normally_ done by Haymitch who was out with a ‘ _migraine_ ’ again. It had only taken a couple of repeated incidents for Peeta to realize that ‘ _migraine_ ’ meant ‘ _hangover_ ’ in Haymitchese.

Johanna Mason, one of Peeta’s best friends, had left her stressful job with the LAPD to become a private investigator. The long nights, inside corruption and life threatening work had taken its toll on her after only five years on the force. She was tough and prided herself on ridding the streets of dirt bags. But, when her Section Chief, Coriolanus Snow, had groped her boob and dared her to report him, she’d had enough. When she found herself popping Prozac just to get through the first half of the day, she knew it was time to move on. She quit and started taking private investigative assignments almost immediately. She never looked back.

She’d been at it for about a year when her roster of potential cases was far too much for one person to handle. Word got around fast and people trusted her. She had a reputation for being brusque but ethical and extremely thorough. She initially asked for Peeta’s help because he had a fancy camera that she couldn’t afford on her tight budget. Thanks to his love of artistic photography, he had lenses that could photograph tits on a bug from a thousand feet.

Peeta had come to Los Angeles with the girlfriend he’d had since high school. He’d followed Delly from their small hometown to university and finally to LA where she wanted to pursue her dream of becoming an actress. Her bubbly personality, pretty face and… _ahem_ …nice rack had won her some minor roles fairly quickly. Things really started to take off for her about a year ago after an appearance on a popular sitcom. It was then that things started to change. Before long, they were no more and Peeta Mellark needed to find a reason to stay in LA. Helping his friend Jo was one such reason.

He became a quick study when it came to the investigative part of the job. He was handsome and had a kind face, which got him into a lot of places on trust alone. And women loved him. Jo had perfected her baiting skills with their male resources, but she knew she needed to have someone to work the female angle. And no one was better at that than Peeta Mellark. Although he hated it.

“ _I feel like a whore._ ” He'd confessed.

To which Jo had replied, “ _Yes, you're a whore, but for all the right reasons, hot buns_.”

With Johanna’s contacts and their combined capital, they opened _**Mockingjay Investigations**_ which operated out of the back seats of their cars until recently. With their current book of clients and growing reputation, they’d managed to afford an actual office space, which wasn’t half bad, as well as an assistant to take phone calls when they were out in the field.

Whether Haymitch Abernathy could be called an assistant was debatable. He was actually Jo’s uncle who had a sharp eye, a piercing tongue and a drinking problem. He was pretty decent when he bothered to show up to work sober. But, Jo had a soft spot for the guy and he was willing to get paid by the hour, so here he’d been since they opened the doors to their new office.

Granted, _Private Investigato_ r sounded more glamorous to outsiders than it really was. They spent more time in the back seats of cars eating bad takeout, trolling seedy bars, dodging pissed off clients and bribing receptionists than doing any real investigative work. Still, staking out cheating husbands and wayward children had its rewards. Just very little glamour. And Jo and Peeta were just fine with that.

In the months following the launch of their business, Jo had come off the Prozac and was actually one half of a fairly healthy relationship. Peeta was beginning to move on from the pain of losing Delly and was finding a purpose for himself.  Peeta shook himself back to the present long enough to go get Johanna.  Once behind Jo’s closed door, he couldn’t stop himself from inquiring.

“Someone’s here to see you.  And please tell me she’s into guys.”

“That’s Katniss Hawthorne.  Old college buddy of mine.  And yes, she’s into _guy,_ not _guys_.  Singular.  Not plural.  As in Gale Hawthorne.”  Peeta’s face fell into mock disappointment.  “As in her devoted husband.”

“Well if he’s so devoted, why is she here?”

“That remains to be seen, hornball.”

“Well, do you need my help?”

“Not sure yet.  I’ll conduct the interview and call you in if I need reinforcements.  Katniss is sort of…skittish…private like.  Just hang close by just in case.  You got no life anyways.”

Peeta gave her a go-to-hell look and they both went to the front to retrieve their guest. 

“Brainless!” Jo barked.  Katniss lit up a tad bit more, giving Peeta a slight hint as to what a smiling version of her looked like.  Radiant!  That was the word came to mind.  He cleared his throat as the ladies recovered from their hug.

“Oh…uh.  Kat, this is my partner, Peeta Mellark.”  Jo gave him the look she always gave him when a beautiful woman made him nervous.

“Oh, partner?”  She looked at Jo questioningly with a mirth-filled expression.

“Business partner.”

“Ah, I see. Pity.  Well, nice to meet you Peeta Mellark.”  She extended a hand that was equal parts strong and delicate, his thumb brushing over the velvety bronze skin covering the back.  A shock of energy ran from where their hands were joined up to their eyes.  He took advantage of the introduction to stare directly into them and he swore her gaze lingered for just a fraction of a second longer than it had to.  The spell was quickly broken by her dropping her head and his hand and turning on the balls of her feet to address Joe.

“Thanks for seeing me on short notice.  I really need to talk to you.”

The two women retreated to Joe’s office.  Peeta waited around patiently handling other tasks, all the while hoping that his partner would need his help after all.  Something about this woman had drawn him in.  He noticed that his hand still tingled from where they had touched, though briefly.  After about 20 minutes, Jo buzzed Peeta on the office system to join them.  She explained to Katniss that she and Peeta were equal partners and that all matters were held in the strictest confidence.  Katniss explained that her husband was Gale Hawthorne, a young, though prominent and successful entertainment lawyer.  He had a lot of famous, wealthy clients that may be put off if his personal problems wound up in the streets, or worse, the tabloids.

“As Gale says, how can clients expect him to keep their lives confidential if he can’t manage his own?  I need to keep what I’m about to say and do absolutely quiet until I confirm my suspicions.”  She paused to let that notion sink in.  Peeta relaxed on one end of a short sofa while Jo leaned on the end of her desk with her arms folded across her chest. She took a deep shaky breath and looked down at her nervous hands to gather her strength.  Sharing bits of her personal life with anyone, let alone a college acquaintance and a stranger, was going to be more difficult than she originally thought.

“I think my husband is having an affair.”  Katniss noticed that neither of them flinched at her words.  “Of course, you probably hear this sort of thing a lot.  Huh?”

“Oh, not nearly as much as you think.”

“Yep, men are pigs.” 

Both Peeta and Jo spoke up simultaneously and glared at each other in unison.  Katniss chuckled sadly.

“We’ve been married for three years.  Surely not long enough for the honeymoon to be over yet.”

‘ _Idiot_!’ Peeta thought.  He never understood the types of people who cheated on their spouses.  They saw it all the time, of course.  These types of cases were sort of his and Jo’s bread-n-butter because there were so many.  They never turned a client away.  They just simply shook their heads with a ‘ _tsk-tsk_ ’ once the clients were gone. 

Jo loved Marvel, Peeta knew this.  He had been the only man to even come close to waving away his friend's disillusionment about relationships.  Ever so often, she’d lapse into her old way of thinking.  Peeta suspected it was partly because of the type of work they did and partly to keep her heart from being shocked by what she deemed ‘inevitable’.  She called him a ‘ _sappy eyed romantic_ ’ and encouraged him to fuck around, ‘ _Just a little bit, Mellark_.’  Love was something sacred in his book.  It was to be honored and not given or taken lightly. Of course, being a guy, he couldn’t go around saying shit like that in public.  Katniss’ voice continuing with her story shook him out of his reverie. 

“…but we’ve known each other a hell of a lot longer than that.  We grew up together back in Kentucky.  We leaned on each other and learned to survive together after our parents died.”  She inhaled again to fight back the memories that threatened to make stale wounds fresh again. 

“He’s been acting strangely for a while now.  I can’t put my finger on it, but I know something has changed.  He’s always worked long hours, but…but he always seemed happy to see me when he came home.  Now, all that has changed.”  There were no tears to provide a background for her monologue. Most people, especially the female clients, came in either racked with sobs or hell bent on revenge.  Katniss Hawthorne seemed to be neither.  There was a definite sadness, but Peeta couldn’t read how _hurt_ she was.  He was good at reading people.  It’s what made him so good at investigations.  But she stumped him, Katniss Hawthorne did.

Peeta was starting to feel sorry for her.  Perhaps his own story was why he sympathized with the jilted so.  Perhaps it was growing up in a household with two parents he was unsure even loved each other.  He’d vowed, after watching his dad suffer, to never get married unless he met someone that he absolutely could not live without seeing every day.  If the woman he was with failed to make his face light up, he’d rather not, thanks.  He couldn’t understand people who married those they didn’t really and truly love.  And he _especially_ didn’t understand those that betrayed the ones they said they loved. 

The story she told tugged at his heart strings.  He couldn’t figure out why he was so drawn to this woman.  She seemed way too coiffed and kept for his taste.  Everything seemed to be too perfect and in place, not real.  He liked ‘real’.  Lack of ‘real’ is why he struggled so much in L.A.  Lack of ‘real’ is what had driven a wedge between him and Delly.  But, there was something about this Katniss Hawthorne.  And it looked like he would get the chance to figure that something out.

* * *

**Thanks for all of the feedback.  I will be continuing this little drabble. I hope you enjoy!**


	2. The Case

Peeta slowly opened his eyes to a room that was too shockingly bright after a long night of drinking. ' _Why didn’t I draw those damn curtains_?'  His mouth felt like someone had stuffed their drawers down his throat.  His own stale breath hit him as he scanned the room for his discarded clothes.  He couldn’t believe he’d done this again.  The intake and release of another’s breath came increasingly into focus along with another warm body in the bed next to him.

“Shit.  I gotta stop doing this.”  The long, silky red hair came into view along with the beer cans lined up on his dresser on the other side of the room.  His night slowly began to come back to him.

He swung his legs over the side of the bed and sat up, willing away the stiffness in his left knee.  It hadn’t been the same since a rough tackle in a college game sidelined his hopes of an NFL career. And the older he got, the worse it got.  It was all just as well.  He never wanted to play in the NFL anyway.  That was his mother’s dream.  His father, though an avid sports fan, just wanted him to be happy.  His mother really didn’t care what he did either, as long as it came with money or fame, and preferably both.  But, since he was not interested in being an actor, had sketchy business sense and politics bored him, football was his next best hope of making her proud.  Since that dream died on the 40-yard line back in school, she’d pretty much given up on her youngest son bringing her fame and fortune.

“Sal, get your ass out of my bed.” 

The last thing he remembered was sitting in front of the television with Sal on his lap and his sixth beer in his hand.  Peeta reached behind him and swatted Sal on the ass.  He glanced over his shoulder as the large, lazy Irish Setter stretched, yawned, lifted his head, then plopped back down on the mattress like he hadn’t a care in the world. 

“Salvador!  Time to go potty, boy!”  He released two short whistles that signaled it was time to go for a walk and watched as the lanky dog rolled out of bed and ambled down the hallway to the small washroom to retrieve his leash. 

“You’re a lazy ass, you know that?”  Sal walked back into the room just as Peeta stood to stretch his legs.  The dog simply stood there with the leash in his mouth, sleepily tilting his head from side-to-side as Peeta pulled on the jeans he’d tossed to the floor the night before and added a fresh t-shirt. 

“And I told you to stop climbing in bed with me.  You have your own, bed, Sal.  It’s not healthy for a man my age to be sleeping with a puppy, dude.”  Sal wiggled his behind anxiously before sitting back on his haunches to wait for Peeta to get his shit together and take him for a much needed walk.

“What’re gonna do when I finally get another girlfriend, boy?  You can’t go sneaking into my bed in the middle of the night.  Chicks might think that’s weird.”  Sal responded with a pathetic whimper. Delly had broken his heart.  Although he’d moved on from harboring any feelings of love for her, he tried his best to avoid getting involved in casual relationships to fill the void.  But, living in the land of superficiality had a way of jading a guy.  Peeta Mellark was tired of being alone.

He grabbed a croissant from the batch he’d made the night before and headed out to walk Sal while chomping on it.  They greeted the neighbors they saw every morning as they walked the familiar mile to their favorite park. District Park had an impressive dog park, jogging trails, a playground and picnic areas that made it a popular spot in this part of town. The one thing about  L.A. that Peeta never complained about was the weather. Ten months out of the year brought balmy, spring-like weather. The other two months resembled a balmy autumn.  His favorite pastime was to bring Sal to the park and watch the sunset from their favorite picnic bench.

He knew the breakup with Delly had been for the best but it still sucked. It had been six months and he still had trouble falling asleep alone.  The alcohol helped in that regard, but he always woke feeling shitty.  Weekends were desolately lonely with no one to make plans with.  Jo was in a relationship now, and sometimes they just wanted to be alone with each other.  So he worked.  He painted alone.  He baked alone. And he spent time with his dog. 

He took Sal inside the dog-run and removed his leash.  When he was confident the lazy animal had made a friend, he dialed Jo's familiar number.  A deep, raspy male voice answered.

_"...lo."_

"Hey, Marve.  Is Jo around...awake...sober?"  The man laughed at him.

 _"Hold on, man.  She's right here."_ Peeta heard the rustling of sheets followed by reluctant groans from Jo.

"You still asleep?  I've been up long enough to bake croissants, go over last month's invoices, walk my dog  _and_  do a load of laundry."  He only lied a little.

_"Yeah, but did you get fucked by your hot boyfriend until3am like I did?"_

"Very funny.  And TMI.  Hey, I want to start making some notes on that new case we picked up last week."

_"Which one, wonder boy?  We picked up several.  Oh, lemme guess.  The damsel in distress.  Katniss Hawthorne."_

Peeta hesitated only slightly embarrassed that he was so readable.  "Um yeah. That would be the one."

_"I kinda figured you wouldn't be calling me at the crack of fucking dawn on a Saturday about old lady Trinket's case."_

He hated when Jo could see right through him. Once she found your weak spot, she never let up. It also made her a hell of an investigator.

"I need you to tell me all you know about this Gale Hawthorne.  I thought I might start some casual surveillance this weekend.  We belong to the same gym, so I thought I'd travel across town to the hoity-toity branch and see if I can spot anything."

Katniss had given them a listing of addresses that Gale frequented, including his office, his gym, his favorite coffee shops, restaurants, hardware stores, and the like. 

"I need you to tell me the stuff that his wife isn't going to."

 _"Well, like Katniss said they grew up poor kids in Kentucky. I met the two of them at university. He was two years ahead of her and they were inseparable."_   Peeta wasn't sure why this sent a slight pang across his chest.  She was the guy's wife, unfaithful or not.

 _"He was always the good sort, I suppose.  They dated off and on from the time she arrived on campus until he went on to law school.  So, no one even batted an eye years later when they announced they were getting married._

Peeta kept his eye on Sal as he frolicked with a Yorkie being followed around by a fox-faced girl with red hair.  ' _Geez, my dog is such a pussy_!'  He drew his thoughts away from his overgrown puppy and tuned back into Jo

_"What did surprise everyone was how Gale seemed to change once he moved to L.A.  I haven't seen him in years, but from what others tell me he's equal parts nice guy and brimming prick.  Katniss was always really quiet and private, ya know. She didn't hang out much unless it was with Gale.  She didn't have many friends.  Gale's reputation around this town is that he's young, good looking, dynamic, successful and not the least bit humble about it."_

"I see.  Well I'll bet my shitty inheritance that Mr. Hawthorne will be shining up his pecs in the gym this morning.  Gotta go, Jo."

"Okay, keep me posted, hotness."

" _Hey_!" He could hear Marvel's pretend protest on the other end.

 _"Come here, baby."_   He heard Jo lapse into the coo that was only reserved for Marvel.   _"You know you're my.."_    _Click_!  Peeta hung up before he got an earful of words he'd spend the better part of the day trying to forget.

"Victor! Come back here!"

He turned around to see a brunette chasing a miniature schnauzer up the hill. The dog was running at breakneck speed towards the dog-run.

"Victor!" 

 _‘Some people and their pets.  No respect for leash laws,’_  he thought. 

At least he  _thought_  until the owner and her dog came closer into view.  The dog ran straight into the partially opened gate as another visitor was exiting. The owner was definitely gorgeous...and oddly familiar.

Her toned legs dangled between a pair of dangerously tiny jogging shorts and green running shoes. Her fitted white tank sat snugly against firm shoulders, nice tits and a flat stomach. The sun visor she wore was pulled down around a single braid, but there was no mistaking that complexion and those licorice colored tresses.

"Katniss?"

She was gasping for breath but relieved that Victor had headed for the dog-run instead of continuing across the park. 

"Hey!  Peeta, right?"  He couldn't believe she was here when he'd barely ended a conversation about her with Jo.  Freaky.  She looked around cautiously before ambling over to him.

"Hey."  He felt like he was in middle school.

"Hey."  She made note of how he was much more attractive in the sunlight which bounced off the longest lashes she'd ever seen on a man.   ‘ _Probably gay.  Most good looking guys in L.A. are,_ ’ she thought. 

"Victor.  My dog.  He's wild.  He jumped out of the car before I could even get his leash on. He loves coming here but sometimes he just runs all over the park and it’s hard as hell to catch him."

Peeta couldn’t believe how different she looked.  The braid tucked under her visor extended to just above her waist as it draped over a shoulder.  She was glistening and little tendrils of hair stuck to her brow and the side of her neck.  He chanced a glance south and saw what looked to be a smudge of dirt on her left knee.  This couldn’t be the impeccably dressed woman he’d met just days ago.  But, judging by the eyes, the hair and the voice, she most assuredly was.

“I’m sorry, I almost didn’t recognize you.  You look…a little different.”  She rolled her eyes and Peeta thought that it just about the sexiest damn thing he’d ever seen.  And, was that dirt under her manicured fingernails?

“Yeah, well. That was what I call my ‘game face’.  This,” she gestured to her attire with a flourish and a curtsey, “is more me.  Gale hates when I go out looking scruffy.”  Peeta couldn’t help but dislike this Gale Hawthorne more and more with each passing comment from his wife.  He thought she looked radiant as a dribble of sweat descended between her perfect little breasts.  He made quick note of how small they were by local standards before reddening and looking away.  That meant they were hers, for sure.  Sexy.  He liked the gentle slope of a natural breast and didn't think they should look like they were stuffed with navel oranges. 

"You don't live around here.  What are you doing way out here?  It's clearly across town."  Peeta found himself asking with a note of surprise.

"Um.  I just like hanging out here."  Peeta raised an eyebrow at her. "I like the atmosphere here.  It's less..."

"...pretentious? "

"Maybe." 

"...superficial?"

"Perhaps.  It’s just more…" 

“Artsy?  Real?  Down to earth?”  

She shot him a look that signaled that he’d driven his point home.  "I like coming to this park and Rue's Brew House.  It's my Saturday ritual." 

He chided himself for pegging her as a pampered woman and wondered why he’d never run into her before.  Then he remembered that he normally came out a lot earlier.  Besides, he’d only been frequenting the park since his break-up with Delly.  She hated the park and was always in such a hurry to leave.  They used to spend most of their Saturday mornings pouring over [ActorsAccess.com](http://actorsaccess.com/) and [LACasting.com](http://lacasting.com/) for auditions.  Then he’d spend the rest of the day driving her around from one interview to the next while poor Sal languished in the back of the vehicle. 

He drew his thoughts away from his lame past and focused on the present.  As his dislike for the abstract Gale Hawthorne was growing, so was his regard for the man’s wife.  She had succeeded at surprising him no less than three times in the space of five minutes:  with her less than perfect attire, her affinity for sweat and dirt, and her patronage of independent little coffee houses.

"Yeah, Rue's brews are the best."

"Ah, so you know it?"  She nodded and looked at him with a hint of favor.

"Yeah, quite well.  I'm a regular myself."

"Interesting.  Well, I met Rue not long after I moved here.  She's fantastic. I don't get to see her much now, unless I drop in for coffee.  I usually go after my run and after Vic gets to play a bit."

"I was planning to go there myself after my dog, Sal, finishes terrorizing Yorkies."  He pointed over to Sal who was now sniffing Victor's butt, much to his dismay. They both broke out in laughter. 

Peeta had only half lied. He  _was_  familiar with Rue's and was even a regular.  However, it had  _not_ occurred to him to go there this morning until she showed up.

"Why don't you join me?  Maybe we can chat a little about your case." He made sure to whisper but noticed the slight widening of her eyes.  "Since Rue welcomes dogs, I think we're good.  Invitation is open if you'd like."  He really hoped she'd like.

After only a short hesitation, Katniss agreed.


	3. The Contact

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peeta begins his surveillance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: My apologies on this chapter. I'd previously planned to have Prim killed with Katniss' dad and had a sentence that read "She was the only surviving member of her family." I decided to keep a living Prim in this fic and have removed that sentence from Chapter 3. Thank you for your patience.

**Chapter 3: The Contact**

As they walked the path to Rue's Brew House, Peeta pondered on how different Katniss seemed from the first time he met her. His first impression of her couldn't be further from the woman walking alongside him now. She'd seemed friendly, but aloof and withdrawn when they first met. Now, she smiled more easily, spoke more freely and even laughed out loud a couple times. It was easy to see how someone could fall in love with her. It was equally as difficult to see how Mr. Hawthorne, whoever he was, could prefer another over his wife. But, he barely knew her.

She learned that his dog's name was Sal, for Salvador Dali, his favorite artist. He was from Everett, Washington originally and was still adjusting to L.A. after six years in the city. He met Jo at their local gym shortly after arriving and they struck up a quick friendship. He grew up in a bakery, had a degree in Art History with a minor in Marketing and liked to dabble in art and photography in his spare time. He learned that her dog, Victor, was named for her deceased father. That was all she chose to share about herself.

Rue's was, thankfully, sparsely occupied due to the late hour of the morning. Still, Katniss opted for a table in the far corner away from the patrons bending over their lattes and MacBooks. She'd already spent a few minutes in the back office catching up with her friend, the owner, and was ready to join Peeta. Sal settled himself quietly behind Peeta's chair while Victor paced nervously around Katniss' ankles before finally settling down.

"So, tell me about...your methods." She dove right in.

"Methods? Of surveillance?"

"Yeah." And there she was, looking around as if John Quinones from  _What Would You Do_? was going to pop out at any minute.

"Well, I use mostly photo evidence." He searched her face for a reaction and saw only curiosity. "That seems to be the indisputable truth in our business. However, I will occasionally use distant voice recordings or interviews of third parties. It just depends on what you're after. Are you...seeking a divorce? Because I can make sure what we get stands up under the strictest legal scrutiny. Many of our clients have maximized their divorce settlements with our evidence."

"Wait? What?" Katniss looked at him like he had worms growing out of his head. "Maximize? Is this what you think I...?" She lowered her head onto one of her hands. "I'm not after Gale's money. I'm not some gold digger! I've been poor before and I'm pretty damn good at it! I can be poor again if I have to." She looked around, realizing she was raising her voice beyond her comfort level.

"I'm sorry. I certainly didn't mean..." He wasn't sure where that fire came from, but he sure as hell liked it. Her eyes flashed with indignation and her cheeks became rosy with fury. If he thought she was gorgeous before, she was downright beautiful when she was indignant.

"What I'm after, Peeta, is the truth. I don't know what he's up to, but something's off. He may not be cheating. But, he's definitely hiding something."  
Peeta looked at her with the deepest sympathy. "I didn't mean to imply that you were...after his money. Have you ever thought about just asking him outright if he's cheating?"

"As crazy as it sounds, yes I have."

"It's not so crazy to ask." Peeta waved away the sugar she offered him for his coffee.

"But, I know Gale. He won't tell me."

"They rarely confess. That's why we exist. But, asking will put him on notice that you suspect something."

"No, Peeta. He'll keep it from me because…he doesn't want to hurt me."  
Peeta stared at her in disbelief. She was actually giving this guy credit, prematurely so, for trying to protect her feelings. This was going to be interesting.

"What's your relationship like?" He knew it was an unfair question and was  _totally_  not on the client intake form of questions to ask. He wanted to know for selfish reasons.

"Good...it's good for the most part. I mean, we don't fight at all. But, I find we're spending less and less time together. Even when he's home; he's more preoccupied now. Like I said before, he's always worked a lot, so that's no different. He's always been very driven. He works hard to give us a good life. He swore he would and he does. But, we haven't…um…se…" She looked away into the corner of the room embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, what?"

She took a deep breath and reminded herself that Peeta was here to help her and that he was likely gay anyway, so it wouldn't matter if she talked about their relationship. She just whispered it out. "Sex. It's dropped off significantly. It's just weird."

Now he knew the guy was a damn fool. "You don't have to tell me this, Katniss." Peeta cleared his throat which had gone completely dry at thinking about her and sex in the same sentence. But, he couldn't help asking.

"Um, how significant?" ' _Did I really just ask that?'_

"I'm not trying to pry or anything; I'm just trying to pinpoint when his behavior changed."

"A month. It's been a month." Her cheeks were inflamed. "I mean he's tired a lot, but it never mattered before. Now, he always has an excuse, or a stomach ache or something." She looked up at him with the most shame-ridden eyes.

She couldn't believe she was confessing this to a stranger. But, something about Peeta Mellark said ' _trust_ '. The way his blue eyes bore into her made her feel that he wanted to help. That he felt for her and that he actually…cared? He really was quite handsome, indeed. In another place and time, under different circumstances…her thoughts trailed off. ' _Katniss, you're married. Gale is probably cheating and Peeta is probably gay. All the nice ones usually are.'_

"I need the truth, Peeta. I can't go on like this. I haven't been myself for…quite some time now. If Gale is with someone else, I need to move on and reconnect with my life. I really need to know."

Peeta could only nod. He understood. More than he wanted to admit.

"Well, I'm starting my surveillance this weekend. Just casually, though. Starting next week, I begin formal photo surveillance. I'm more likely to get some unusual activity during the week when you're accustomed to him being away from home for long stretches; provided he is actually doing anything."

"Can I come?" She couldn't believe she just blurted that out. But she meant it.

"I'm sorry?" Peeta wasn't sure he'd heard her correctly. "Did you ask if you could come along?"

"Yes. I need to see what's going on." She tucked her hands underneath her thighs and hunched her shoulders like a little girl who was afraid to admit she'd been in her parents' porn.

"But, that's what the pictures are for."

"I know. I just…I need to keep busy or I'll go crazy." Peeta learned that Katniss didn't work. She basically stayed home all day and tried to keep herself occupied.

"Soooo….you want to stakeout your…potentially cheating husband and see it first hand becaaaause… photo proof won't be traumatic enough for you?" He eyed her quizzically, not understanding why she'd want to see that.

"I know it sounds crazy, but if there is a  _her,_  I need to see how he  _is_  with her. I want to see how he  _looks_  at her. How he  _touches_  her. If he's in love with her or if it's just a fling."

"Why does it matter? If he's betrayed you, will the reason matter?"

"You don't understand. I don't expect you to. But, I promise I won't get in your way."

"Jo would have my balls on a platter if she knew I was even considering this." But, something prevented him from stopping this conversation all together.

"I won't tell her. She won't find out." Her gaze did not waver.

Something about this woman did not spell damsel in distress. It just didn't jive. She didn't seem helpless at all. She seemed, if anything...devoted to this image of her husband and determined to get at the truth no matter how much it might hurt. Only time and surveillance would tell who Gale Hawthorne really was.

"Okay. Let's get started Monday at 9am."

She nodded, though not excitedly.

"Just promise me this. If we do…see something…that you won't jump out of my vehicle and kill the guy on the spot or cause a scene? Then all of this will be for nothing and I'll never be able to work in this town again."

"I wouldn't do that to you. I promise." She meant it. And he believed her.

* * *

When Katniss arrived home, it was to an empty house, except for the housekeeper, Cecelia. Gale had insisted three months before that they hire someone to help out at home, in spite of her protests.

" _Gale, I do nothing all day. I think I can pick up a bit around here. As for cooking, that's a different story_."

" _Catnip_ ," he'd said, " _there's nothing wrong with having a little help. A woman of your station should have help._ " She simply rolled her eyes in protest.

" _Station, my ass. Well, rather than a housekeeper, per se, how about someone who cleans occasionally and does light cooking? You scared me when my spaghetti made you sick_." He chuckled and tossed his sweaty t-shirt in her direction.

" _You never could cook_." After pausing in thought for a couple of seconds and eyeing his wife, he said, " _Okay. But, once we have kids we'll need someone fulltime. Your job will be raising my perfect kids and keeping that ridiculous body of yours tight_."

The irritation she felt at his statement conflicted with the grateful smile she offered him. Gale worked hard to give her all the things they complained about not having when they were poor kids in Kentucky. But, rather than get into a lengthy discussion, she agreed to a part-time cleaning person. He showed his appreciation for her ridiculous body by making intense love to her for most of the night. This was just before things started to really decline.

The next day, Cecelia showed up at her door with a smile and a van full of cleaning supplies. Katniss fumbled through the introduction without revealing her surprise at Gale's making the decision without her input. But, she and the woman hit it off immediately and she forgot all about her irritation with Gale by the time he got home that evening.

Now, Cecilia stood before her, smiling sadly. She was an attractive forty-something who was rather trim and fit for having given birth to three children. She was always warm and understanding with Katniss, who was sure that she'd noticed the change in the amount of time Gale spent with her over the last few weeks. She never discussed it specifically, but wore a sorrowful expression each time Katniss arrived home to an empty house.

"Gale said to tell you he'd be out late tonight. Dinner with clients. Says he knows how much you hate those. Said not to wait up for him."

"Thanks, Cecilia. I'm a little tired anyway. I'll probably get some grocery shopping done and call it night early.

"Would you like me to do that for you?"

"No! No. I'll do it. I kind of need something to do. Um…thanks though."

She roamed the aisles of Whole Foods Market picking the finest cuts of organic, grain-fed meats, vegetables and fruits…ensuring she got all Gale's favorites. She stopped at the Asian bar and ordered her favorite spicy chicken noodle bowl before heading home. She wondered what Gale was doing and what client he was meeting as she put away her items. Instead of pouting about it, she took the opportunity to blast her favorite artist Adele, whom Gale happened to hate, while Victor watched her prance around the kitchen singing  _Melt My Heart to Stone_  at the top of her lungs.

* * *

Across town, Peeta sat down and made some case notes on his surveillance of Gale Hawthorne. The man was even more rugged, handsome and intimidating in person than his pictures had let on. He could see that Gale and Katniss together presented a very striking couple. They were very similar in tone and coloring, with smoldering grey eyes.

Earlier that day at the gym, he'd taken a spot on a treadmill two over from Gale, plugged in his headphones and turned the sound completely off. This branch of their gym was a bit more upscale and quieter than the one in his neighborhood, thankfully. He was hoping to catch at least a part of a conversation if one should arise. It wasn't until ten minutes into his run that Peeta heard Gale slow his pace and speak into his phone.

"Yeah, Taylor. You heard me. You can't sue a boyfriend for abandonment." After a bit of silence, Gale huffed and said, "Look, just meet me at Katsuya in a couple of hours…Yes…Yes, you can bring your mom. See you then. Text me when you head there."

He'd exited the gym shortly after that without even glancing around.

Peeta returned to his apartment and Sal, who was wagging his tail excitedly when he walked through the door.

"You know, boy. One of these days I'll come home and there'll be a hot chick standing next to you." Sal barked. Peeta spent his evening on the phone with his dad who was all excited about the different variety of buns the bakery was trying out.

"I'm thinking big picture, son. Like Sara Lee. Mrs. Fields. I can see it now.  _In your grocer's freezer. Mellark's Gourmet Buns. Cheese. Ham and Cheese. Pesto._ "

He convinced Peeta to try one of the recipes to help him perfect it. So, Peeta spent another Saturday night baking bread that would only be eaten by his dog. He decided he'd take some to Marvel and Jo the next day. He was about to start the six pack of beer that helped him get to sleep most every night when he had another thought. He decided to text Katniss.

Peeta: Hey, it's Peeta.

_Katniss: Hey_

Peeta: Just checking in with you.

She paused a few minutes before her response.

_Katniss: K. I'm fine…?_

Peeta: Do you mind if I ask…What time did Gale get home?

_Katniss: Not sure. He had come and gone by the time I arrived._

Peeta: Oh.

_Katniss: He's still out. Dinner with clients._

Peeta: Did he say where?

_Katniss: No._

Peeta: K

Peeta: Does this happen a lot?

_Katniss: Yeah_

Peeta thinks, ' _Guy's an idiot_.'

Peeta: I'm really sorry. This is the part of the job that I hate. I may have to ask you some questions that make you feel bad.

_Katniss: That's okay. I get it._

Peeta: I don't want to make you feel bad. Are you sure you're up for next week?

_Katniss: More sure than anything._

Peeta: By the way, delete our conversations as soon as they're over. Wouldn't want to raise his suspicions about anything.

 _Katniss: Wouldn't that be funny? It could look like I'm cheating with_ _you_ _. LOL._

Peeta: Yeah. Hilarious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the way, in Gale's comment to Katniss, 'ridiculous body' is a compliment :-)


	4. The Celebrity

Chapter 4: The Celebrity

Monday morning arrived without fanfare. At 9am, Katniss met Peeta at an office park where she could leave her car and have it blend in unnoticed all day.

"What's that?" she asked, pointing to the monstrosity he'd pulled up in.

"My surveillance vehicle." Katniss stared at a rather ancient, white delivery van with  ** _Mellark's Bakery_** painted on the side, right next to a dancing cupcake. She smiled in spite of the seriousness of what they were about to undertake. Peeta jumped out to open the door for her. "What?"

"Nothing. It just doesn't look like you." He was such a ' _dude'_  with his ripped jeans, leather jackets and I-don't-give-a-shit hair. Katniss thought that just maybe she'd paid more attention to Peeta Mellark than she realized.

"Well, my dad gave me this when I left home. It drove me all the way from Washington State to here. Delly and I drove around in this thing for the first couple of years here. She absolutely hated it. Of course, things are a lot better now, but it's a hell of a surveillance vehicle. I mean, who'll suspect a bakery truck parked on the side of the road?"

She scrambled into the front seat and smiled at the cassette deck that had an actual cassette plugged into it.

"Mix tape?" She looked at him teasingly.

He smiled awkwardly, "Hey, I'm retro."

"So, who's Delly?" He wasn't aware that he'd even mentioned her until she asked.

"Um…yeah. My ex-girlfriend."

 _'_ _So, he's not gay,'_  she thought. "Oh."

The memory of her confession about her and Gale's sex life in the coffee house made her blush. She shook the thought away and fastened her seatbelt as he pulled into traffic. They arrived on a street that was very familiar to her and parked across from Gale's office. Peeta had instructed her to tie her hair up and hide it with a baseball cap or wig; she'd chosen the cap. Large sunglasses were just a dead giveaway, so she'd put those away when he cautioned her that she'd look like she was trying too hard to be incognito.

"People might think you're some celebrity that's trying, unsuccessfully, to go unnoticed. Just be natural to not draw attention to yourself."

Peeta excused himself for a minute and exited the van to go inside of the Victory Tours travel agency across the street. He came back out and placed a validated parking tag on the windshield.

"So….what do we do now?"

"We wait."

Gale typically had lots of appointments out of the office. There would be no real pattern to his comings and goings today. All they had to go on was whatever he told Katniss was on his agenda. At about a quarter past 11am, she got a text from him.

_Gale: Hey, babe. Eating lunch with clients. How's your day going?_

She made up a quick reply: Great. Bikram class in about 15. ILY.

_Gale: ILY2. May have to work late :-(_

They saw Gale's Mercedes pull out of the parking garage about 10 minutes later. Peeta snorted to himself, ' _Of course, he drives a Mercedes'_.

They slowly pulled into traffic, inconspicuously trailing Gale. Half an hour later they arrived at an upscale Italian restaurant where he parked and dashed inside. The waiting game would begin again.

"S'how long have you two been broken up?"

"Pardon?"

"You and your ex? Recent breakup?"

"Um…six months. Long enough to be over it. Recent enough to still bite a bit."

"Well, entertain me. Tell me about her."

"Um…well, we moved here together…" Peeta proceeded to tell her the whole story, including how they had been high school sweethearts and how he'd moved to LA to follow Delly, who came to pursue her acting career. How she'd found some recent success with a recurring spot on a popular sitcom. Their breakup had followed soon after.

"Rising starlets seldom stay with their hometown boyfriends."

Katniss thought for a moment then responded, "Wait, your Delly wouldn't happen to be Del Cartwright, would it? The one on that show…where she plays the neighbor to these four women who live together…the name of that show escapes me."

"That would be Delly."

"Wait a minute. She's always in the tabloids on the arm of that guy from that movie where the kids fight to the death in this game show. What's his name?" Katniss cringed inwardly at her lack of social skills. Although Peeta had broken up with the woman six months ago, it probably still sucked to see her with someone else.

Peeta grinned, "The fact that you don't know his name makes me like you even more. I can't go to the bathroom lately without hearing this guy's name." She blushed.

"I don't watch a lot of TV. Not my thing, I guess. I didn't mean to sound like a celebrity watcher. I pay attention enough to keep up with Gale's line of work. I prefer to be outside rather than watching trash TV or reading tabloids. A good book trumps a movie any day for me."

He went on to explain how Delly, or Del as she had insisted he call her, left him for a douchebag of an actor named Cato Lindgren, a hulking Nordic god that all the women drooled over. Every time he opened a magazine he saw a picture of them at some red carpet event. The worst ones were the shitty shots of them feeling each other up at some tropical island resort acting as if they didn't know the cameras were there. Peeta knew it was only a matter of time before he'd break her heart; but for the moment Del was happy and had what she wanted.

"Do you still miss her?"

"Sometimes I do. But, I know breaking up was the best for us. We were, in spite of all our similarities on the outside, incompatible. We wanted different things; valued different things. It would've happened eventually. And I'm okay with that."

He was sure he wasn't still in love with Delly. She'd just always been a presence in his life, and he missed that. Their parents were friends. They'd been neighbors. They'd grown up together. They'd gone to school together and even resembled each other. What he didn't miss was the constant bickering they'd fallen into the last year or so of their relationship. He knew it was because neither was really happy with the other. Yes, he knew the breakup had been for the best. He had no desire to go back, but he was tired of being alone.

Katniss seemed interested in, or at least patient with, his boring stories about himself. He talked about his job and why he enjoyed it. What he didn't tell her was that once a client came to see them, it was usually almost guaranteed the spouse is cheating. That their job was simply to confirm what their partners already assuredly knew. That the best barometer for a cheating spouse was your gut. If you feel something's off, it probably is. He chose instead to tell her about the one client who turned out to not be cheating. Even though a newly-divorced Katniss Hawthorne would make him ecstatic, part of him hoped that she was wrong about her husband.

"I had this one case where the spouse was completely wrong. We actually ended up being really good friends, the three of us. I can't tell you their names because that's always held in strictest confidence. But, he was moonlighting as a real estate agent and was afraid to tell his wife that he hated the 'suit and tie gig' he worked to support them. He wanted to live near the beach and surf and fish. The wife had been so relieved that the love of her life wasn't cheating that they sold their house and moved to a smaller place so he could pursue his dream. Now he's one of the most sought after real estate agents in Santa Monica. But he keeps his book of business manageable enough to always make time for his wife, their newborn son, and of course, surfing."

"That's a great story."

"Yeah, those come along rarely but they make my job worthwhile. Sadly, they don't all end like that." He looked at her with concern.

"I know Peeta. I know what I'm getting into."

"Sometimes, seeing their spouse with another person is much harder than people think it's going to be. There may be a wave of emotions that you're unprepared for. I just want you to be aware."

"I may be more prepared than you think." Peeta looked at her thoughtfully for very long time.

"You're a constant surprise, Mrs. Hawthorne."

"I prefer Katniss."

"Well, Katniss. You know so much more about me than I do about you. We got a little time to kill. So, spill it."

When she finished her story, he had a better understanding of why she found herself in her current predicament. Katniss had lost her father to a terrible farming accident when she was in high school. She, her mother and younger sister were visiting relatives at the time.

"Since we lived so far out in the country, by the time EMS got there, there he was gone. I missed my dad terribly. We were so much alike."

She told him how her father had taught her to swim in the lake on their property and how to bow-hunt.

"Wow." Peeta looked at her with awe.

"What?"

"I can't believe I'm sitting next to a female bow-hunter." He couldn't imagine she was much larger than the bow herself. "Let alone one who looks like she belongs on the cover of a fashion magazine." He cringed at his loose filter. ' _Geez, Mellark. You're such a dork._ '

He quickly apologized. "I'm sorry. I just meant you seem really girly."

"That's okay. I'm not offended." She offered him a smile that said she trusted him. She'd better trust him, because she'd be spending her free time in the backs of vehicles with this guy for days, maybe even weeks.

She told him about her sister, Prim, who was at Stanford Medical School. How her sweet, bubbly personality charms everyone around her. It was clear that she loved her sister a great deal and was very proud of her. Although Prim didn't need financial help from Katniss for her education, Gale would often send her money and do nice things for her to ease the burden. They still had some money left over from the final sale of her father's land. Money that Katniss was adamant about saving for Prim's education.

They had survived for the most part by selling off small parcels of land, bit by bit. Her mother had refused to sell the last of the land her husband had worked so hard to farm. But, she also had no farming skills of her own to help sustain her family. Things fell into disrepair quickly. When they were no longer able to retain the farm animals and the hired help, they began a life lived in virtual poverty.

He wanted to reach out and hug her when she told him how her mother had sunk into a deep, dark depression right after her father's death, forgetting that she had two daughters to take care of. She took care of her mother and Prim for a year before the woman put a gun in her mouth and pulled the trigger. It was her senior year in high school and Prim's last year in middle school. It was Gale's friendship that had saved them. He talked to his mother, Hazelle, who insisted that she and Prim move in with their family. Her only condition was that there be no hanky-panky between Katniss and Gale, figuring that the two had a thing for each other. Katniss recalls that being the beginning of people always linking the two of them together romantically. Hazelle insisted that Katniss and Prim be treated like sisters of the Hawthorne clan. And that's exactly what Gale had done...until they went off to college. It was then that he confessed his love for her and vowed to become successful so he could take care of her for the rest of her life. He'd kept his promise.

They'd dated throughout college and got married after law school. Gale got lucky representing some very wealthy celebrity clients in LA. He was young, handsome and exuded a coolness that was very essential in the entertainment industry. They'd been married for 3 years now.

"Any plans to build a family?" Peeta found he was asking rather personal questions against his will. He knew it was foolhardy to expect to have anything resembling a chance with a married woman, but he genuinely liked talking to her and hearing her story. He wasn't prying out of selfishness. He really wanted to help her.

Katniss scoffed. "Depends on which one of us you ask."

"Well, I'm asking you."

"Then the answer is no."

"And if I asked Gale?"

"He'd say we're having five." Peeta looked solemnly at her and thought he might be cluing into the first gap in the marriage armor. It always came back to some fundamental differences.

* * *

Two hours later, there was still no sign of Gale. So, Katniss texted him.

Katniss: Hey, babe. Done with yoga. Home for dinner 2nite?

_Gale: Sorry :-(_

Katniss: :-( Bummer

_Gale: Wrapping up with my client and headed back to the office to drown myself in desk work until around 10 pm. Don't wait up for me. Love you._

Katniss: Love you.

"Looks like were about to be done here." She showed Peeta the texts. He felt sorry for Katniss, facing yet another night alone. She deserved better, obviously, than what Gale was giving her. He made a mental note to case Gale's office that night, without Katniss.

After about another 15 minutes, a bevy of paparazzi lined up on the sidewalk outside. Peeta drew his attention to the scene as a young woman with long, curly blonde hair exited the restaurant wearing a flowing white sundress and cowboy boots. She was talking animatedly to a dark haired man that looked like he could be Gale, but their vision was blocked. He snapped a couple of shots and looked to Katniss for confirmation.

"Yeah, that's Gale and…" she squinted at the throng of people milling about, "one of his clients. The girl that has that cheesy breakup song that plays every five minutes."

"You mean the one that makes me long for cement earplugs?" Peeta shot her a wry look.

"That would be the one." She shook her head and they both laughed as they caught each other's eyes. He really liked her dry sense of humor and what was proving to be a no nonsense way of looking at life. Even if she belonged to someone else, he could definitely see hanging out with Katniss Hawthorne and having a good time. What he didn't know was that Katniss Hawthorne was beginning to have similar thoughts…about him.


	5. The Confrontation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katniss confronts Gale about the distance between them.

**Chapter 5: The Confrontation**

_Gale: Hey, babe, Whatcha doin?_  
Katniss: Just finished my run and about to shower. Care to join me?  
 _Gale: Hmmm…sounds tempting. Except…_  
Katniss: Spill it.  
 _Gale: The team has put in a lot of hours the past couple of weeks. We all decided to go to the Slag Heap and let off a little steam._  
Katniss: Really, Gale?!  
 _Gale: Really, babe. I'm so sorry. I promise I'll make it up to you._  
Katniss: Whatev. I guess I'll let off a little steam of my own  
Katniss: …in our shower  
Katniss: …alone  
Katniss: …again…

Normally Gale texted her back within a few minutes, but it took him a while to respond. One hour later, she finally got a reply.  
 _Gale: I'll be home as soon as I can. I promise._

Across town, Peeta Mellark was doing his due diligence to determine if Gale Hawthorne was a cheating husband or just one misunderstood workaholic. He was parked outside of Gale's office, Snow & Associates where Gale had been inside since arriving back at the office around 3PM. It was now 8:00PM and he could see the dark haired man leaving the building talking loudly and lively with a group of people. Peeta scanned the group of five or six to see the interactions between them and Gale. There were four men and two women in the group, including Gale: a young, attractive blonde woman, a brown-haired man that looked to be around Gale's age, an older African-American woman in her early forties with a short-cropped hairdo, a young African-American man that was the size of a small tank, a middle-aged Asian man and another man with a rather artistically-derived beard. The group talked animatedly as they scattered for cars parked along the curb.

Peeta snapped a few pictures of the group, including one of Gale lightly touching the arm of the blonde. "Not really much there," thought Peeta. "Just a group of coworkers heading home for the night..or maybe..."

* * *

It was 11:45PM when he finally crept into their bedroom. The anger Katniss felt was only mitigated by the thought that  _she'd_  been the one lying to Gale and following him. They'd always trusted each other and been there for one another. Through all the upheaval, disparity and grief, Gale had been the one mainstay in her life. He'd been that person she could count on. He understood her and how she worked. He knew what made her tick and what pissed her off. She could feel them slipping into this grey area and it scared her. It was like they were strangers sharing a home and a name, but nothing more. She felt as though she didn't know him anymore.

Yes, he'd changed some since law school, but that was part of the window dressing for the industry he chose. She could deal with the late hours and seemingly endless client meetings, but what she didn't understand was that the man that came home to her was different. He shared less with her. He laughed less with her. He sought her opinion less. It was those things that had driven her to seek Jo's help in the first place.

She and Gale were more than just husband and wife. They were friends. Old friends who'd leaned on each other in the toughest of times. She was there when Gale's father ran off, leaving his mother with three mouths to feed and a child on the way. Abraham Everdeen was alive then and had helped Hazelle get her family over the hump until she got the feel for running their small farm on her own. Both her parents had helped to care for Gale and his siblings, acting as surrogate parents whenever there wasn't enough Hazelle to go around.

When her father died, and then subsequently her mother, the Hawthornes stepped in to care for her and Prim just like they were family. Since there were no other family members who wanted them, it wasn't difficult for Hazelle to gain guardianship over the girls. It was these thoughts of their childhood together that haunted Katniss whenever she was alone. At her core she felt that maybe she could forgive Gale for a momentary dalliance with another woman if he promised to never do it again. What she felt was unforgivable was his cavalier attitude towards their friendship, their closeness and all that they'd come to mean to each other. He'd always confided in her and shared things with her. Now, he was vague and downright secretive at times. That is what hurt the most and angered her to her core.

She listened as Gale tried unsuccessfully to quietly remove his clothing and slither into bed. Although they'd both been avid hunters in their youth, she was always more stealthy than he at tracking animals silently through the woods. That's why he'd resorted to snares more, much to her teasing.

...

_"Give it up, Hawthorne, I'm a better tracker than you are."_

_"Well, it figures, Catnip. You barely weigh a 100 pounds soaking wet. Of course you're quieter in the woods. I can't maneuver all this manliness…" he gestured to his body with a flourish, "…through the woods without waking something up."_

_She'd laughed unmercifully at him. "You just can't admit that a girl is better at hunting than you are!"_

_Gale had simply laughed and tugged her stocking cap down over her eyes and took off running for the fence that separated the farmland from hunting ground. She gasped in surprise and took off after him. She finally caught up with him, her chest heaving, at the fence. It was the first time he'd kissed her. They were 18 and 20 at the time. She'd applied and gotten accepted at the university that Gale was attending and was due to start in the Fall. Life felt ripe with possibilities and new beginnings._

...

She missed those days of being carefree and being able to rely on Gale for practically anything. She didn't trust many people. In fact she could count them all on one hand; and Gale was always the first one she counted. She tried to still her breath in her chest to feign sleep, but she was too pissed off. She kept telling herself to just ignore her feelings. That she was probably making much ado about nothing. That she was about to over-react. But, months of dancing around his behavior and almost no sexual contact from her husband was taking its toll. Just as he slid under the covers, in a failed attempt at stealth, she rounded on him.

"How was the Slag Heap?"

"Hey, babe." He leaned in and planted a guilt-ridden kiss to her forehead. She could feel the tension from his side of the bed. Unable to push her feelings aside, she responded the only way she knew how.

"Were you seriously trying to sneak in, Gale? You know me better than that."

Gale was still leaning over her on one of his elbows as he exhaled an exasperated sigh and nervously raked his free hand through his dark, curly locks. His gray eyes surveyed her cautiously as if she were a wounded animal he was approaching in the woods. He had no idea what to say or how to respond. He knew that the time to stop pretending that there wasn't a widening gulf between them was near. He took in and released another long breath.

"I'm sorry, Catnip. It's just..." He touched her shoulder lightly as she turned away from him in indignation, "...the team...they've worked so hard lately and I promised them a night out to blow off some steam. I couldn't disappoint them."

Katniss turned to face him with such force that her braid smacked him in the face. "But, you have no problem disappointing your wife?"

The air hung thick with Gale's attempt to come up with an acceptable response. But, all he could do was sigh heavily.

"Gale, what's going on? You're different. We're different." She gestured with her hand between the two of them. He blinked slowly, his mouth opening and closing several times with no sound ushering forth.

"Catnip, I...I know I've been working a lot lately..."

Katniss sat up abruptly and glared at him. "That's the least of our problems, Gale!"

"Wait, problems?"

"Yes! Problems!" He looked at her in surprise, mouth agape. "When's the last time we had sex, Gale? When's the last time you touched me or kissed me so hard I couldn't catch my breath?" She felt the traitorous tears that she swore she'd not shed.

He moved closer to her swiftly, gathered her into his arms and cradled her like a child. By this time, quiet tears had escalated into all out sobs. He rocked her back and forth as one arm circled her waist and his spare hand stroked her hair. She nuzzled her face into the side of his neck, covering it with the tears and saliva of her meltdown.

"Shhh. Shhh, Catnip." Gale felt like shit. "I never want to make you cry. I'm so sorry. Work's been crazy and I've been so off lately. I'm so sorry."

Gale continued to rub her hair slowly and softly. She continued to sniffle and sob, though the intensity was dying out.

"Katniss, look at me. Please." She shook her head from side to side, partly embarrassed that she'd let herself lose control of her emotions. She was not THAT woman and didn't like the woman that she was becoming.

Gale continued to plead with her, "Can you look at me, please? I want to explain myself."

She wiped her face of the wetness and raised her eyes to his. They appeared to be full of sadness and conflicting emotions. He glanced down momentarily at his lap before raising his eyes to hers again.

"I know it's been tough lately. I've been gone a lot and even when I'm here...I'm somewhere else. That's not fair to you. I apologize for that."

Katniss studied his face intently. She'd always been more attuned to a person's actions over their words. Although she could hear the words pouring from Gale, she searched hard for the sincerity in his face. She was having trouble finding it.

"I need to explain to you what's been keeping me so occupied. Will you listen, please?" Katniss slowly nodded.

"We've taken on a rather problematic celebrity client. One who decided that it was a good idea to beat up his also famous girlfriend and leave her stranded on the side of the road. His image is in the toilet and he's likely headed for jail if we can't turn this around. We've been working around the clock with a PR firm to get this kid back on track." He looked down at his hands in exasperation.

"I don't care for the guy personally, but he  _is_  a high-profile client. We've been at his beck and call since this happened. But, I swear things aren't always going to be this way, Katniss. But, if my team can clean this guy up...we're set for life! I could command any client for any price after this. You'll never want for another damn thing!"

"Gale, look around us. I want for nothing now! I don't want anything...don't need anything else. I just want our lives back. I want you back. I never wanted this life! I could care less about red-bottomed shoes and designer purses. I was happier when we had to kill our own food, but had each other. It wasn't the best life, but at least we had family to lean on."

"Katniss, please don't tell me you miss that life."  
"I do, Gale, to a certain extent."  
"I work my ass off so you never have to go hungry for anything and..."  
"Gale, we're a long way from hungry.  
"But, still! I do this for you...for us."  
"No, Gale. You do it for yourself."  
"Most women would kill for your life, Katniss."  
"Look, I'm grateful for everything you've done and I'm proud of you." She pushed her body up from the bed and tucked her legs underneath her. "But, I've never asked you for one thing I have in that overstuffed closet of mine. Those are things  _you_  insisted I have in order to fit in here. I've never been that kind of woman and you know it. All I've ever wanted was a life with you. And all I can see is that slipping away...slowly. We're becoming people that we used to despise. Vain. Vacuous. Materialistic. Power-driven. Can't you see that?"

Gale inhaled and released a long, frustrated sigh. He turned to Katniss. "I just need to get through this for now. And I swear, things will go back to normal."

Katniss felt her edges begin to soften. The weeks of not feeling his hands on her body were causing her insides to ache. She moved closer to him, bracing herself for the usual excuses and rejection. She placed her hand on his cheek and leaned in to capture his mouth on hers. After a momentary hesitation, Gale began to return the kiss, slowly and languidly. Their kiss began to escalate in intensity and Katniss felt her lungs begin to expand and contract with the deepening of their contact. She ran her hands down his taut abs to the burgeoning tent in his pants. His arousal was apparent. She ran her fingers lightly over his member as Gale flinched and inhaled sharply.

"Make love to me, Gale." He nodded his head slowly. She smiled against his mouth and ran her tongue along his bottom lip.

"Hold on. I'll be right back. Need to use the bathroom."

"I'll be right here." He ran his hand along her goose-pimpled arm as she backed away.

She excused herself to the bathroom to make sure nothing interrupted them once they started. She checked herself in the mirror before returning to the bedroom. There was still uncertainty bubbling within her and she couldn't explain it. But, she felt that maybe rekindling the physical connection would put them on the road to regaining what they were slowly losing. She dismissed her feelings and headed back into the bedroom to her husband. What awaited her stopped her a couple of steps outside of the bathroom. Gale was face down on the bed with his arms spread-eagle...asleep and snoring loudly.

* * *

**I**   **apologize for the length of time since the last update. Life's drama reared its head in the forms of a daughter applying for college admission and a job layoff. I hope you enjoyed this update, eventhough it's significantly Peeta-less!**


	6. The Call

**Chapter 6: The Call**

Katniss made a point to be gone on her jog before Gale awoke the next morning. She needed a long run to clear her head and sort through her emotions. How could he have fallen asleep on her when they hadn't made love in a couple of months? Her old feelings of insecurity and inadequacy were showing themselves again and she didn't like it.

She couldn't help but wonder if it was that he wasn't attracted to her anymore. She knew that Gale loved her body and often complimented her on it. But, her decision to not get a boob job had always been a source of discussion between them. Although Gale was never mean or insulting about it, he was very persistent in bringing it up every chance he got. He would often point out other women with her build to show her how she'd look with them. She liked her slight but strong athletic build. She argued that large boobs would get in the way and would weigh her down during her run.

 _"Okay, but if they sag after you have kids, you might want to consider it."_ That comment was followed by the one of the biggest fights of their young marriage. He defended his argument, stating,  _"I love you anyway, Catnip. But all men love big boobs. I'm just brave enough to be honest about it."_

When she returned home, tired and sweaty, Victor was dancing excitedly next to his empty food and water bowls.

"Didn't daddy feed you before he left?" She leaned over to stroke her excitable little companion before filling his bowls. When she turned towards the kitchen island, she saw the notepad with Gale's scribblings on it.

 _**Katniss,  
I'm so sorry about last night. Please don't be mad. I was just so tired. I ** _ _**swear I'll make it up to you. When this is all over, I want to take you on an exotic vacation to anywhere you want. No destination is too expensive. Please call our corporate travel agent and set it up. I'm entertaining the worst-boyfriend-in-America tonight, the kid I told you about. Duty calls, but I still love you. Don't wait up for me.** _

_**-Gale** _

The previous night had been the first time she'd confronted Gale about the changes in their relationship. With everything they'd been going through the last few weeks, she was livid that he'd fallen asleep. Sex or no sex, she thought he'd at least stay awake to continue talking. She could never imagine her parents going through something like this. They were so in love, it was sickening most of the time.

_Do Gale and I have that?_

This was a question that had been weighing on her mind for months now.

_Do we have what my parents had? They're the only frame of reference I have. But, is it a realistic one?_

She saw what love looked like when both of her parents were alive. The warmth that seemed to leap across any space that they occupied together was always evident. Even when they fought, it was peppered with a deep, abiding affection that was unmistakeable. They fit together like hand-and-glove. Where Iris lacked, Abraham compensated; and vice versa. They didn't constantly remind each other of the other's short-comings; they were only too happy to fill in where the other was deficient. Abraham was a terrible cook, and Iris delighted in preparing meals to please him and failed attempts to teach him the art. Iris couldn't carry a tune in a bucket. But, Abraham had a beautiful voice that caused even the songbirds to stop and listen. He would sing to his wife constantly and was definitely the go-to parent for bedtime lullabies.

She also saw how that same love broke her mother in two after her father's death, never to return to normal. The thought of allowing love to consume her in that way had always been terrifying to her. The love she had for Gale didn't feel like that. In fact, it felt...SAFE. COMFORTABLE. FAMILIAR. She realized these weren't exactly the kinds of words that bespoke passion, but they were what she needed...she guessed.

Katniss tapped the notepad on the edge of the kitchen island thoughtfully. Victor's nipping at her heel brought her out of her thoughts.

"Need to go potty, boy?" He danced excitedly between her and the kitchen door. She walked over to let him into the backyard to do his business. She decided to let him play outside for a bit while she showered and planned her day.

She selected a pair of black skinny jeans and a loose fitting top with white and orange chevron patterns. She eyed a pair of flat, thong sandals that she knew would be comfortable enough to run her errands in.

She decided for once to just towel dry her hair and leave it loose with a bit of natural curl. She didn't do this often, but for some reason she just felt like it today. She'd decided some weeks ago to begin looking for a job, although she had yet to mention it to Gale. She knew he liked having her at home and discouraged her whenever she talked about going to work.

 _"We don't need the money, Catnip."_  
"I'm not doing it for the money, Gale. Hell, I'll donate every penny to charity. I just want to feel useful."  
"You'll be useful a-plenty when you pop out a gaggle of gorgeous kids."

Gale expressed a desire to have children right after they got married and thought she could delay working until they had their family. But, Katniss had stalled on the matter for three years and they'd done this constant tango of battling wills: his to start a family and hers to get a job.

She sat at her laptop checking email for job leads when it suddenly occurred to her that it had been weeks since they'd had their standing argument about starting a family. It struck her as odd even though she dreaded that conversation every time Gale brought it up. When it came to getting what he wanted, he was tenacious; a bulldog, even. It's what made him such a good attorney. He rarely gave up until he got what he wanted and trying to change his mind was a waste of time...unless...he changed his own mind.

She felt her phone buzz beside her and glanced down. A text from Peeta. She was oblivious to the small smile that graced her lips when she saw his name in the text alert. She reached for the phone to check it, but the phone sprang to life again in her hands before she could read his text.

The quacking ring tone signaled that it could be only one person. Her smile widened as the picture of a goofy, 14-year old Prim filled the screen. She was wearing a leopard print tank top, skinny jeans, huge sunglasses and a gigantic smile. Katniss had snapped the pic while they waited in line outside of a Jonas Brothers concert. Life was rough for them back then. She'd saved up for months to buy the tickets, willing to do anything to make Prim feel like a normal teenager. That had been a magical night.

"What's up, Ducky?"  
"Hey, Sissy! Whatcha doin'?"  
Katniss let out a telling sigh. "Looking for a job." Her brow furrowed when she glanced at the time on her computer. "Why aren't you in class?"  
"Professor cancelled class for today. But, before he did, he assigned an ass-load of reading for us to do. God forbid first year med students have a free hour to themselves! I just took a break from reading and decided to check on my sister. You've been heavy on my mind lately. Everything okay?"  
Katniss wouldn't dream of telling her about her suspicions of Gale. Prim loved him and would be instantly pissed and unforgiving if she knew. But, she also knew that Prim was very intuitive and could see straight through her bullshit. She knew the younger woman would sense something and tried to fake a light tone.

"Everything is fine, Ducky. I've decided to find a job, so I'm sitting here on my computer...checking my traps."  
Prim chuckled. "How does Gale feel about that?"  
"It doesn't matter how Gale feels about it. This is what I want to do."  
"So you haven't told him." It was a statement...not a question. Katniss could hear the lecturing tone that was present more and more as Prim grew older. Sometimes she made Katniss feel like the little sister.  
"I don't need his permission, Prim."  
"That's not what I mean, Kat. I thought he wanted to start having babies."  
"He does...far as I know."  
"What does that mean? It's all he's talked about."  
" _Used_  to talk about." She felt her level of irritation begin to rise at Prim's questioning, but knew she would be wrong to take it out on her sister. "We haven't talked about kids lately. We haven't talked about much lately; he's been working so much."  
"Mmm-Hmm." Prim sounded skeptical already.  
"What the hell, Prim?" Katniss could tell that there was more she wanted to say but was holding back.  
"Look, I agree with you. You don't need Gale's permission to work. And you certainly don't need to feel pressure from him or anyone to have children if you don't want to. It's just..."  
"Spit it out, Prim. I'm listening."  
"You should talk about these things. If you're hiding your job search from him, you should ask yourself why you feel the need to do that."

Katniss leaned her forehead onto her free hand and let out a quiet sigh. The weeks of suspicions and surveillance were taking their toll on her. She didn't have any girlfriends to talk about these things with. Well, except for Madge. But, they weren't that close and she certainly couldn't talk to her...for obvious reasons. Peeta was the closest to a confidant she had on the matter and their relationship was already skating the edge of professionalism.

"I thought you were studying medicine, not psychology. And I'm not hiding anything. I just haven't brought it up; and he hasn't brought up kids lately. I'm...just...not in the mood for the ensuing conversation."  
There was a long, pregnant pause on the line before Prim spoke again. "Katniss, can I tell you something?"  
Katniss took a deep breath, her eye-roll apparent in her response. "Yeess." In this moment, she indeed felt like the insolent teenager getting lectured by her much wiser parent.  
"Since you and Gale have been married, you've been...gradually...changing."  
"What the hell does that mean?"  
"Don't get mad, Katniss. But, it's like you're a watered down version of yourself. You end up doing whatever he wants you to do. You don't express yourself in the same way when he's around. You've always been true to yourself, no matter the situation. It's what I love most about you."  
"Well, Prim, he  _is_  my husband and relationships are about compromise. And sometimes I just want to avoid an argument with Gale. You know how we can be: like fire and gasoline."  
"Yes, but that doesn't mean that one partner has to do all the compromising. And you don't owe him anything, Katniss. Tell me one thing that Gale has compromised on to make you happy."

Katniss thought in silence for a bit. Surely, she could think of at least one damn thing. They moved to the city he picked. They lived in the house he chose. Most of her wardrobe was selected by Gale. Even her car was his idea. They ate at the restaurants he liked. And as much as she loved Victor, he'd decided on the type of dog they'd look for. The list just went on and on.

"All I'm saying is...I just...I just never saw you two as more than friends. Really close friends who argued most of the time. But, when you told me you were dating, I just thought it would fizzle out once you met other guys at college. Then he proposed and I tried to be happy for you because you've done so much for me. I didn't want to ruin your happiness. But, I just never felt it was right."  
"Prim! I hope you know what you're saying. This is serious."  
"I know. And I'm sorry. I probably never would have said anything...as long as I thought you were happy. But, each time I talk to you, you seem to be so less and less. Katniss, you're my sister. Nothing...and I mean nothing...could ever come between me and you. I'm stepping over the line here, I know. But, you're worth it. And if I'm wrong, I'll beg for your forgiveness on my hands and knees the next time I see you in person. But, are you happy? I mean really happy?"

Katniss held the phone in silence, her free hand caressing the bridge of her nose. "Prim, I'm just a little off is all. I just need to find a job and do something with myself."  
"I asked if you were happy. The fact that you didn't answer right away tells me everything."  
"When did you get so damn smart?"  
"I'm no smarter than you are, Sissy. You're just used to sacrificing your own happiness to take care of others. You're still doing it. And you need to stop it. Now. I know you, Sissy. You hate to owe people. You owe him nothing. I know you love Gale, but are you in love with him?"  
"What's the difference?" Katniss placed her elbows on the desktop and barely mumbled, "I always thought that was a stupid statement anyway."  
"There's a huge difference! Do you love me?"  
"Of course!"  
"Are you in love with me?"  
"Ew, but...no."  
"And Hazelle? Rory?"  
"Okay. Okay. Shit, Prim. I get it."  
"Look, I gotta go. My time's up. Next class starts soon."  
"Okay."  
"I love you, Katniss. I love Gale, too. Please don't take anything I said the wrong way. But, think about it."  
"Love you, too, Prim." They made plans to visit one or the other in a month and hung up the phone.

Katniss' mind was reeling when she finished talking to her sister. It was as if Prim could see into her soul. But, she couldn't let her sister know that she was right. That all the questions she'd asked her were the same ones she'd been asking herself lately.

She stared idly at the phone, suddenly remembering the text from Peeta that she was about to check. She forgot everything else.

 _Peeta: Hi, Katniss. I have some pics I want you to see. I'd planned on going into the office today, but plumbing issues._  
She responded: What, too much Mexican food?  
 _Peeta: Oooh. Funny...not. No. Sal decided it was a good idea to drop my car keys into my toilet._  
Katniss: Ew!  
 _Peeta: I have to wait for the maintenance guy. 4-hour window. :-P These guys are unbelievable._  
Katniss: I'm running errands out in your area in a few. I could drop by your place.  
 _Peeta: Um...sure. If it's not too much trouble. I have some new pics. I just want to ask you about some of the folks in them so I can plan surveillance for next week._  
Katniss: Oh. Okay. Um...say in 1 hour...ish?  
 _Peeta: Nothing major in these pics, so don't be alarmed. I do have some questions. 1 hour will work._  
Katniss: Just text me your adress. I'll use the bathroom before I get there.  
 _Peeta: Again with the funny? I'm at 1212 Mockingjay Lane. Feel free to park on the street out front. See you soon._

She hung up the phone, ashamed of the lightening in her mood. ' _Katniss, you're going to possibly look at pictures of your potentially cheating husband's potential mistress._ ' But, she knew she was just as excited to get to see Peeta again.

* * *

**Not as much Peeta-ness as I'd hoped for, but it was a necessary filler. I felt like the story was progressing too fast and not explaining certain things/events/relationships. I hope this helps move things along. Please review and give me your feedback. Thanks, guys!**


	7. The Conscience

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peeta has something to show Katniss. No, not that.

"Just tone down the oregano a bit. Sprinkle some parmesan on top, and I think you've got a winner. "

" _Good deal, son._ "

His dad breathed a sigh of relief on the other end of the phone. He'd been struggling with recipes for variations on Mellark's Famous Cheese Buns for days now. Peeta loved his dad, but sometimes his goofy ideas about ' _going globa_ l' or putting a ' _Mellark loaf in every mouth_ ' made him wince. But, lately he was starting to think he was onto something with this frozen cheese bun idea. He was experimenting with a classic version, like the one they sold in the bakery, as well as a French version and one that would compliment an Italian menu. Peeta volunteered to help by tweaking the ingredients and walking his dad through the changes he'd made. They had to get measurements just right and conduct a taste test after freezing and then baking.

"Now let's talk about the classic cheese bun later. I got someone coming over in a bit and my place is somewhat of a mess."

" _Oh, son. I'm so glad to hear that. I've been worried about you since you broke up with Delly._ "

"No, dad. It's not like that. This is a client."

" _Oh._ " The line went silent for a while before his dad added in, " _Well, just know that any girl... you fall for is lucky. All I want is your happiness...I've told you that. Your mother may say different, but I personally don't care whom you love. As long as my boy is happy.._."

"Dad, I'm fine. Okay?"

" _Are you atleast going out, son? Meeting people?_ "

"Yes," Peeta felt fifteen again. He tried to hide his irritation so as not to offend the man he loved so much.

" _I know you, Peet. You work too much._ " His father paused in his concern as Peeta tried to come up with something to answer him. Before he could open his mouth, the older Mellark asked, " _You're not...gay, are you?_ "

"Dad! No! Geez! Don't you think I'd have told you that by now if I were? I tell you everything...practically."

" _Not that there's anything wrong with that! Gays have made great strides in our society..._ "

Peeta pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head, "Dad." His father kept rambling. "Dad! Please stop. It's just that I'm a little...oh...I don't know...particular."

" _You're not being too picky are you son? I mean you're in a city with some of the most beautiful women in the world. It can't be slim pickings._ "

"No, Dad, I'm not picky. But, I am...selective. I just know what I want when I see it. And sometimes when I see it..." Peeta fiddled with a loose fiber on the seam of his jeans as he thought about his visitor that was due any minute. "...sometimes...um...things are just out of my reach is all."

" _Out of your reach? Well any woman would be lucky to have you, son. No one is out of your league. You're a good and genuine soul, Peet. Don't underestimate how much some women love and appreciate that. You're right not to settle until you find someone who does. And you're not bad looking either. You get that from your old man. You got the Mellark Mojo working for ya_."

Peeta couldn't help but shake his head at his well-meaning father. His corny speeches that were annoying in his teen years had become a welcome distraction during college. Now, he downright missed them.

"Thanks, Dad. Look, I gotta go clean up Sal's mess before she...um my client gets here."  
He didn't miss the heightened lilt in his father's voice as he acknowledged his slip of the tongue and bid him goodbye.

He made a clean sweep through the apartment, tossing all of his and Sal's mess into his bedroom and slammed the door. He normally wasn't a slob, but cases had picked up recently leaving little time for domestic chores. He'd even had to start bringing Sal to some of his evening surveillances to prevent him from trashing his apartment out of boredom and loneliness. He and Jo were aware that if they continued at this pace, they'd have to hire another investigator or train Haymitch.

He couldn't deny the effect Katniss had on him. No other woman had ever made him tongue tied like she did. No one ignited this protective nature like she did, although he had a feeling Katniss Hawthorne could very well handle herself. The last month of trailing her husband and hanging out with her had allowed him to see her under circumstances which would make most people crumble. But Katniss met each new photo and bit of information with a steely-eyed resolve that was both terrifying and sexy at the same time. If only he could find his own 'Katniss'.

* * *

Prim's words made a constant loop in Katniss' mind on her drive to Peeta's. She decided to skip her other errands in her haste to get to there, she told herself, because she was anxious to see the pictures he'd taken.

She pulled in front of Peeta's condo and checked her understated makeup in the rearview mirror without even registering a thought as to why she felt the need to do this. She rarely wore makeup; and seldom checked it even when she did. She stepped onto the stoop and knocked on the door. She could hear Peeta from farther away yelling, "Coming!" followed by an anxious bark from Sal.

She had to giggle when she heard Peeta say from the other side of the door, "Move out of the way, dude. Unless you sprouted hands and plan on answering the door."

The door popped open to reveal Peeta standing there in loose fitting, low slung jeans and a simple black t-shirt that read ' ** _Seek Truth. Find Joy._** ' No shoes. Sexy.

Sal was waggling excitedly around Peeta's legs as he stood there staring, speechless. Her hair hung loose around her shoulders and extended to just above her waistline. The skinny jeans showed off the strong but feminine curve of her legs, which dangled beneath the orange and white top.

No matter how much he prepared himself, the sight of her always did something to him. It made him stupid. He stuttered through each encounter until his professionalism kicked in. It was usually only then that he could find composure, reminding himself of the reason he even had the opportunity to be in her presence. Each time he'd seen her, she looked different. And each time she was stunningly beautiful. Peeta was sure he'd already made a fool of himself before coming to his senses and inviting her in.

Katniss cleared her throat nervously as she moved a strand of hair behind her ear. Hopefully, Peeta was too busy moving the dog out of the way to notice the way her eyes lingered on his broad shoulders. Sal jumped up to greet her, snappigng her out of her inappropriate admiration just as Peeta stuttered his way through an appropriate greeting.

"H-hey, Katniss. Come on in."

Was it her sexual frustration interfering or did Peeta seem to be staring at her as well? She could have sworn she heard him release a slight sigh as she passed through the doorway.

"Sorry. Sal just gets a little excited when company shows up."

"Oh, he's fine. I'm used to being around Victor. Hey, buddy." She directed her attention and gaze to Sal, bending over to give his mane a gentle rub. It was partly to greet her new friend, but also to calm her nerves and distract herself from the way Peeta's chest filled out that black tee. " _Geez_ ," she thought, " _I've got to have some sex. This is pathetic_."

He fought with himself to not check out her ass as she leaned over to pet his dog. " _Damn, Peeta! This is another man's wife! I'm so pathetic._ "  
She stood up and turned around just in time to prevent him from putting all of his trust in his willpower.

Katniss took in his apartment, which was surprisingly well-decorated but still masculine. There was a large plush sofa made of the softest looking brown leather she'd ever seen. It looked like it swallowed its inhabitants up whole. She imagined that Peeta must have made out with quite a lot of girls on that sofa. But, she couldn't understand why that thought jumped into her head. She shook it away to take in the collection of tasteful paintings and photographs around the livingroom. It was clear that he had a love for soft, earthy, vibrant colors.

Behind the sofa was a large painting of the most gorgeous orange sunset reflecting off ocean waves with sandy shores in the foreground. The painting nearly spanned the length of the sofa itself.

Something about it drew her in. She felt as if she were there; as if she'd  _been_  there. It was clearly a painting, from the appearance of the brush strokes, but the colors were so true to life that it could have been a photograph. She must've been slowly advancing towards the work of art because she was just close enough to make out the name ' _Mellark_ ' scribbled in the lower right corner before Peeta's voice pulled her out of her trance.

"Katniss?"

"What? I'm sorry."

"I asked if you wanted something to drink."

"Oh. Sure...b-but, did you or someone in your family do that painting? It's really beautiful."

She smiled inwardly as Peeta's cheeks turned a slight shade of pink and he scratched the back of his neck. "Um, yeah. Me"

Her head snapped so quickly, he assumed for a second that maybe she didn't believe him.  
"Really? I thought you were more of a photographer."

"Well, I started out painting. But, my mom thought it was a frivolous endeavor so I just kept it hidden from her. It's more of a hobby now. Then my dad bought me a nice camera in high school when I made yearbook staff and I fell in love with photographic arts. She didn't seem to object as much to that, so it stuck. I love capturing people's lives on camera. Children laughing and families connecting. Not all of my work is so...seedy."

"Well, you've probably heard this before, but you're extremely talented."

"Thanks. I really enjoy it."

Katniss noticed the wistful look in his eyes, the way his lips curled up slightly at the corners and thought that only someone of pure heart could rejoice in other's happiness like that. Her eyes fell on an exquisite framed photograph of the sensual curve of a woman's back. It was rendered in black and white with the exception of the red chaise that the woman reclined on; it extended from just at the nape of the neck to the top of her tailbone.

"That's really beautiful. Is that your work?"

"Uh, yeah. That's just a photo I took of Del when I was fooling around with some new lighting." Katniss felt an inexplicable surge of envy in her chest. Before she knew it, she was eyeing Peeta with one eyebrow raised as if to say, ' _You're over her, huh?_ '

Almost as if he read her thoughts, he responded, "It's more about the beauty of the female form, the curves and lines, than it is about it being Delly. It could just as well have been Jo's back or..." And for a moment he pictured Katniss sprawled nude on a chaise lounge like the one in the photo. But, rather than continue with his thought, he cleared his throat and looked away in order to hide the blush creeping up his neck.

Katniss nodded knowingly, "Sometimes, it's hard to let go of that with which we've grown comfortable." Her eyes locked with his momentarily, he was sure of it. But, there was more exchanged in those few seconds than he and Del would have traded in thousands of words uttered to each other. He forced himself to break the spell. This was, after all, his client.

"How about something to drink then we can take a look at those photos? I know you must have a ton of things you need to do today."

Katniss wished she could press rewind and suck those words right out of the air. She didn't mean to make Peeta feel uncomfortable. She believed him when he said he was over his ex, but she couldn't see why someone would keep a half-nude, framed photo of the person that broke their heart. What was more puzzling was that she gave a damn in the first place. She wasn't accustomed to getting in other people's business, but she'd grown to like Peeta a great deal. She was just looking out for him.

As she followed him into the kitchen, she made note of several photos of what appeared to be family members. There was one of an older couple in which the man looked like an older version of Peeta with his arm around a rather stern looking blonde woman. There was another of a man, who also resembled Peeta but was possibly in his mid-thirties. He was seated next to a beautiful Asian woman and on her lap was a little boy who was obviously their child. There were photos all over the walls, all clearly done by Peeta.

She followed him into his kitchen and sat at the island, noticing a large manilla envelope labeled  _Hawthorne_. Katniss picked up the packet without permission, not believing that the fate of her marriage rested in the confines of a stupid envelope.

"Are these the pictures?"

"Yes. Let's take a look." Peeta returned to her side with a glass of lemonade, the awkwardness from earlier seemingly subsiding.

The pictures were all from different distances and angles. Some were taken outside of the law firm. Others were at the gym, but some were places she was unfamiliar with.

"Do you recognize any of these people?"

One picture must have been taken the night Gale took his coworkers to the  _Slag Heap_.

"Yes, these are his coworkers at the firm. That's Thom Granger, a law intern. This here's Mrs. Seeder, his paralegal. The large guy is Michael Thresh, an associate attorney. That's Jason Vo next to Seneca Crane. Gale thinks they're dating secretly...very conservative firm. And this is Madge Undersee."

"Do you know any of them personally?"

"Yes, Madge and I are friends. Have been for years. She's from our hometown. Why?"

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to all of you who have hung in there and tolerated my sporadic posting. I do plan to finish this story. I hate not finishing. Besides it is a lot of fun to write. I've just been super busy with end of school year stuff. I'm also afflicted with a dreaded disease 'needs-quiet-time-in-order-to-write'; with three kids, that's nearly impossible. Thanks for your great reviews, follows & favs! Next chapter, more K!P time!
> 
> Until then!


	8. The Conversation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has been posted on FF Net for a while now. I neglected to post here, like a complete idiot. Chapter nine soon to follow.

Peeta took a moment to collect his thoughts before answering her question. After four weeks, he was beginning to think that Gale Hawthorne did nothing but work an awful damn lot and obsess over his own body. At one point he almost began to feel sorry for the guy: he had a lonely, beautiful wife at home who thought he was seeing another woman. He still wasn't entirely convinced of his guilt or innocence. But, he knew he was getting close to the final answer and didn't want to worry Katniss unnecessarily. But he did need some clarity on a few things. Things he didn't feel comfortable revealing just yet.

The chime on his oven dinged and brought him out of his thoughts in time to avoid looking like he was stalling on his answer. He excused himself to the oven and shot her an answer over his shoulder.

"I just want to know more about the people he hangs out with, his connections and how they integrate into you guys' lives."

Katniss watched the muscles in his back and forearms flex and twist with the slightest movements as he removed a tray of something that smelled so delectable, it made her mouth water.

"I almost forgot I had another batch of cheese buns going."

"So that's what's been teasing my nose all this time." She stared at the tray of buns in wide-eyed wonder. ' _What, he's a good cook, too? Good, Lord!_ '

Peeta chuckled, "Yeah. Family recipe. My dad sells these in the bakery back home. He's roped me into helping him tweak the recipe for this big, big, big venture he's undertaking."

Peeta set the tray on the far end of the island to cool. He sauntered over to a cabinet to retrieve two saucers and returned to place them between he and Katniss.

"Since you're a captive audience, you must try them. I can't let you leave until you do." She felt her throat go dry and her cheeks flush as she thankfully reached for the glass of recently refilled lemonade.

Peeta placed a cheese bun on each of their plates and nodded for her to try. "They're best when they're warm."

He watched as her lips parted seconds before wrapping around the bun, revealing a quick view of her tongue. The butter he'd brushed over the bun before baking left a glistening sheen on the most beautiful pair of lips he'd ever seen. A slight smirk teased at his lip as he watched her eyes roll with pleasure at the first taste of his creation. The melted cheese from the bun stretched from her lips to her hand as she reached up to break the strand and stuff the remainder in her mouth. He forced himself to focus on something else, but not before she delicately licked the remaining butter and crumbs from her lips and fingers. ' _Dear God, this woman has no idea...how sexy she is...the effect she has on me._ ' And he was thankful.

"Peeta, that is heavenly! Oh. My. I can't believe how talented you are."

"Well, when you grow up making these on a daily basis, it's easy, really."

"I think your buns are my new obsesh..." She gasped so suddenly at her poor choice of words that she choked on the remaining piece of bun in her mouth. Peeta's eyes widened in concern as he rushed over to her side of the island and pounded awkwardly on her back.

"Katniss! Are you okay?"

She grabbed her glass to take a swig of lemonade as a remedy just as Peeta began to pound on her back. This caused her to then choke on the drink, drawing an embarrassed flush to his face.

"Oh, geez. I'm an idiot, Katniss. I'm so sorry." Lemonade sputtered from her mouth all over the island and down the front of her shirt. She tried to speak up to tell him that all was fine, but she couldn't speak. He grabbed a handful of napkins and began dabbing at the front of her shirt, making her laugh even more. The embarrassed look on his face sent her into a fit of giggles which robbed her of even more oxygen. Before long, Peeta joined her in her laughter until he was gasping for air.

Once she regained the ability to speak, Peeta took his seat back across the island and offered her some napkins to clean up the countertop.

"I think I'll just keep my hands off the napkins for now. Here you go."

"It's really fine, Peeta. I swear I haven't laughed that hard in years. Wow! What a release!" She swiped the napkin over her chin and the counter until the sticky mess was cleaned away.

He noticed the way her eyes crinkled at the corners and seemed to almost lighten a whole shade. Her skin was flushed and radiant, making her even more adorable. If for no other reason, he knew he needed to wrap up the Hawthorne case before he found himself a complete goner for her.

"Well...uh...I'm glad you found your release at my expense." It didn't come out as he meant it.

Peeta's chuckle died on his lips as he cleared his throat and decided to change the subject...quickly. From the dusky rose color on Katniss' face and neck, she picked up on it, too. He couldn't let himself get carried away like this with a client. She robbed his brain of oxygen or something because he became a complete bumbling idiot around her. He'd never done that before, and Katniss Hawthorne was not going to be the reason to start now. Besides, Jo would barbecue his dick for putting their professional reputation on the line. He had to reel it in with a quickness. Regardless of how big of a crush he was developing on her...and that's all it was, a crush...he had to remember that she was a client first and foremost.

Katniss could sense the mood shift from light to awkward to light and back to awkward again, and she blamed no one but herself. ' _Great, Katniss. You've been in his apartment all of ten minutes and you've already embarrassed him twice. Congratulations._ '

"Could you tell me about each of them? And then we'll move on to the other pictures?" He refused to meet her gaze and she felt terrible.

"Well, I'll start with Mrs. Seeder. He's particularly fond of her because she's the first person he got to hire himself. She was recently widowed at the time with two kids to feed. Gale took an instant liking to her, saying she reminded him of his mother, though she is a bit younger than Hazelle. She's been to our house a couple of times for small gatherings and is a very nice lady. He relies on her a lot."

She looked at him for signs that she should continue and gave her a slight nod. She discovered why he was so good at what he did. He was so easy to trust with his calm, easygoing manner. He had a way letting others guide the conversation. He never forced or pried or dug for anything. He was...patient.

"Michael Thresh is probably the closest to Gale. They're around the same age and he's a transplant here like us, so they became quick friends. He and Gale work out at the gym together a lot. In fact we introduced him to Rue...of Rue's Brews...a few months ago and they just recently started dating."

"Oh, thats cool."

"Yeah, those two are so awesome. He's a good guy...and a good lawyer. Gale says he sends money back home to Alabama to help his family out. But that's about all I know." She paused for a breath before continuing.

"I don't know much about Vo and Crane except that they, too, are very competent. They don't share a lot of personal information. I've spoken to each of them at a company function or two, but nothing at great length."

"Thom is an intern that just started with the firm a couple of months ago, so I know very little about him. And that leaves Madge."

Peeta's face remained expressionless as he listened for the rest of his question to be answered. "Madge was probably the only friend I had in high school, besides Gale I mean. She was definitely the only female friend I had. All of the other girls thought I weirded out a bit after my dad died, so they kept their distance. I was too busy worrying about mom and Prim to really make friends, but Madge was easy."

Peeta smiled as he watched her face alternate between softening and hardening as she delved back into this small bit of her childhood.

"She made all the effort in our friendship...back then. Her dad was actually a Senator in our home state, so she was pretty well known...and popular. But, what most people didn't know was that she didn't give two shits about that. In fact, she hated that people were willing to accept her and let her get away with things just because of who her dad was. That's one of the things I liked most about her. She just started sitting at the lunch table with me out of the blue and talking my ear off. The next thing I knew, I had a friend."

Peeta smiled and listened patiently as she continued. He loved watching her talk.

"Gale couldn't stand her though."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Said she was too spoiled and entitled. I tried telling him that he was wrong about her, but he didn't care to listen. And I didn't care to make him. Madge was my friend and that's how we left things. Until she moved here." Peeta's eyebrows raised in question.

"Long story short...she was tired of her parents directing her life and decided to make her own way without her father's money or connections. He, of course, told her that if she moved to the  _land of pimps and whores_ , she could just support herself. So she did. She had a degree she couldn't do anything with and she needed a job to support herself. We caught up with each other on Facebook and I told Gale that she needed a job and was looking to move here."

"So he hired her, then?"

"Well, not right away. He actually refused to at first. But, I wore him down. I wanted him to help her, so he offered her a temp gig. He said he didn't have time to train her and if she wanted the job she would have to work her ass off to keep up. And she has done that. She works hard. Now she's an invaluable part of his team."

"What's her role on the team?"

"The best way to describe it is his Assistant. She coordinates his schedule. Handles some of his client interactions. She books his travel and stuff. Just about anything to keep Gale organized."

"Do you guys hang out much?"

Katniss realized as he asked this that she'd seen a lot less of Madge lately, "Well, not as much as we used to. They've been busy. But, we used to meet at least weekly for lunch or dinner or drinks or whatever."

Peeta nodded benignly and sifted through the rest of the photos.

* * *

From what he'd uncovered during his surveillance, both with and without Katniss tagging along, was that Gale Hawthorne mostly worked, went to the gym and worked some more. Most of his outings were either to meet up with celebrity clients or the occasional beer with the guys after work. Either this guy was extremely careful or there just wasn't a whole lot going on. Regardless of what he was doing, he just didn't seem to be in any hurry to go home to his beautiful wife. Peeta tried to reserve his judgement until all of the evidence, good or bad, was in.

"There's not much here is there?" Katniss sounded more frustrated than hopeful.

"Well, a picture isn't always worth a thousand words. Pictures plus other information can tell a lot, though. It would help if you could access his cell phone records to see who he's contacting around the same time as these photos are taken. Can you get that easily?"

"Well, he does have two cell phones. The personal one is a shared plan that I can access. The other is a company-issued phone and that bill goes to the firm. But, sometimes I see him reviewing it on his iPad."

"I don't want to ask you to do anything you're uncomfortable with, but if you can get those..."

"What would you be looking for?"

"To see if he's restricting certain calls to either of the two numbers. Calling patterns. I'd match them up with some of the photo activity to see if we can tell a story. If that reveals nothing, then..."

Peeta had to stop himself to steady his features and clear his throat.

"...I guess you can consider yourself one lucky woman, Katniss."

She blinked once and stared idly at her half-empty glass. "I suppose I can get those to you. Can you give me a week?"

"Sure." His tone of sadness was genuine. While he hated the idea that she belonged to someone who didn't even care enough to spend time with her, he didn't want to even consider the potential heartache she may be facing in a matter of days or weeks if Gale really was cheating. He didn't feel entirely comfortable putting her in this position, but it was nothing more than he'd asked of other clients. He'd just have to wait and see.

The subject soon turned from the contents of the folder to more mundane topics and before they knew it, another hour or so had passed. Peeta described what it was like to grow up in a bakery and learning alongside his beloved father. He told her how his dad was disappointed he didn't want to carry on in the family craft, but wanted his sons to do whatever made them happy. His mother had expressed disappointment when his leg was injured in a college football game, cancelling any plans for an NFL career.

"She had visions of me going to play in the pros, then parlaying that into a high-profile political career. Honestly, I think she would've been happy with me doing anything as long as it included wealth and prominence. Never once did she ask me what I wanted to do."

"What about you? What did you want?"

"Well, I wasn't sure but it certainly wasn't the NFL. I knew I enjoyed art and creating things, but didn't know how I'd make a living with that. The injury was somewhat of a blessing. It gave me an easy out."

"You don't think you could've just told her  _No_?"

"Not back then. I was young and agreeable. I'm a little different now."

"No longer agreeable?"

"Not entirely. I'm just better about knowing what I want."

"What about your dad?"

"My dad's a fabulous guy. But, he pretty much let her have her way when it came to parenting. Can't say I always agreed with his method, but he's old school and in his book, the women have the last say. So, he pretty much stayed out of her way and told me to just bide my time until I became a grown up and could do whatever the hell I wanted. Needless to say, she's none too proud of having a son with an Art History degree who paints and moonlights as a  _photographer-slash-detective_."

"Why do you do it?"

"What?"

"This." She gestured to the envelope on the table.

He scratched the back of his neck nervously, choosing his words carefully. He didn't want to offend her in any way whatsoever.

"I guess you could say I have an obsessive commitment to the truth. If people acted true to themselves, there'd be no need for people like me and Jo. What we do seems sleazy to some. But, all we're really doing is shining a light on what others try to hide."

"I don't mean to imply that it's sleazy in the least. After all, I came to you for help. I don't think it's sleazy."

"We've saved families by exposing teenagers' drug habits so their parents can get them help. We've tracked down runaways and put them back in touch with their families. We've helped entrepreneurs uncover fraud and deception at the hands of their trusted business partners, possibly saving them millions in the long run. The great majority of our clients are married people, though. So, yes, we've busted many a cheating spouse. In some cases, we facilitate the ends of marriages that are long since done or that never should've happened in the first place. In the rare case, the cheater realizes how much they love their spouse and completely rededicates themselves to saving their marriage. In either case, we help people find their truth."

"That's what I'm looking for then."

"What  _is_  your truth, since you say that?"

Katniss inhaled a deep, thoughtful breath before responding. She'd given this a lot of thought over the past few weeks, and her talk with Prim earlier really helped her crystallize it. She stared down at her hands in her lap because, for some reason, it made it easier to open up.

"I want to live my life the way I used to envision it. I prefer to keep things...simple. Glamour is nice once or twice a year...okay once a year." Peeta couldn't help but chuckle at the woman he pegged as high-maintenance the first time he met her.

"But, I prefer privacy and quiet. Gale likes the limelight and a faster pace. I like the feel of the sun on my back and the dirt in my hands. I like running with my dog. The smell of nature and the feel of sweat on my brow make me feel alive. Gale wants a wife who always smells freshly bathed, loves giving dinner parties and sleeps in slutty lingerie every night while I prefer to watch the sunset on my back porch everyday as I'm burping up dinner."

She closed her eyes tightly to hide her shame. "I'm sorry. I've never had much of a filter and I seem to be batting a thousand here today."

"That's okay. Just be yourself." He took a drink of his lemonade and laughed quietly, "I don't judge."

She giggled and waved her hand in front of her face to ward of the embarrassment. Peeta decided then and there that he needed to help her find her truth at whatever cost.

* * *

**One Week Later**

Gale's phone records, obtained through Katniss, showed a high volume of calls, but nothing out of the ordinary for someone in his line of work. Most of them were to their home, to Katniss' cell, to his clients, to the office, his coworkers or to his mom and siblings back in Kentucky. On the firm bills that Katniss was able to obtain, client calls were tagged with a case number, making them easier to identify for billing purposes. This made it easy to weed them out from the rest. Peeta presented her with his findings over sandwiches at a nearby deli with a sigh and a nod of his head.

"Unless he's cheating with a client or a coworker, I'm just not seeing very much in his call activity."

"That's your idea of good news? A client or a coworker?"

"No, Katniss. I'm saying there's nothing here. But, you do have to consider all possibilities. Look, we can call this off anytime you want."

"No!" She answered much quicker than was necessary. "I mean..." The frustration was showing on her face with each passing week. "...I have to face the fact that regardless of the reason he's so distant, the fact still remains...he's distant and something has changed."

She twisted her wedding ring on her finger and looked sadly at the tabletop. Her chest heaved up and down with each sigh as if it carried the weight of some very heavy decisions. Her grey eyes flashed at Peeta and nearly caught him off guard with their fire.

"Something has to give. Either I find out we're fine and we work this out. Or I find out we're not and I move on. I don't care about the fucking reason anymore. I don't know a lot about love, but I don't think it's supposed to feel like this." She reached one hand up to sweep back hair that had escaped her casual braid and returned to fiddling with her ring.

"I mean my parents had next to nothing in the way of material things and were together for years and years and you could just see the love they had for each other oozing from their pores. Even when they fought."

"What do you want then, Katniss?"

"The truth. But, my truth. I need to figure out what I want. Regardless of whether Gale is cheating...I know what I need now."

"And what is that?"

"To be happy."

Peeta was rendered speechless. He had no more words of encouragement or reassurance to offer her. He was careful to not let his own attraction to her taint what he thought of Gale Hawthorne as a husband. He was a lot of things, but unethical wasn't one of them. He could not in good conscience be responsible for a wife losing faith in her marriage. If that were to happen, outside of him presenting hardcore evidence, Katniss Hawthorne would have to come to those conclusions all on her own. So, he remained quiet. He listened patiently. And he offered his services for as long as she was willing to employ them.


	9. The Cuckold (Not!)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I must apologize for the delay in updating this story. I know that some readers are reluctant to read WIPs because you just never know if the author will finish the story once you commit yourself to reading it. Let me assure you, I will finish this story. I just had a lot of real life stuff going on. Unemployment. Family graduations. And...thankfully...a new job which happened to send me for a week to the very place where this story is set. I could literally picture these characters in some of the settings as I drove around Los Angeles and Long Beach. It has helped to unlock my mojo. So, I'm sitting in a hotel room overlooking the marina with jazz on the iPad as I spin this chapter. So, thank you so much for your patience. Shout out to reader, fatlips, for getting me off my arse to finish this chapter! Big love to ya!
> 
> So, as a heartfelt apology, I wrote an extra long chapter. Enjoy! And please review!

After Katniss' revelation the previous week, Peeta tried to look at her case with a newfound clarity. Whether she was looking for a way out of her marriage or if she was just looking for the truth, his job as a professional was pretty cut-and-dried. If it was the truth she was seeking, he didn't have a problem helping her find it. He  **was**  afraid that his judgement, however, when it came to Katniss Hawthorne, had become a little cloudy. He was a goner and there wasn't much he could do about it except to stay professional and keep his distance as much as possible.

This was becoming increasingly difficult each time he saw her. Whether by chance or by design, they'd taken up the habit of frequenting the same dog park most Saturday mornings...in addition to meeting to discuss her case on a weekly basis. Peeta took notice of how, on these occasions, they'd mostly talk about everything except Gale or her case. Before parting, one of them would inevitably, with a shameful look, bring the conversation around to why they met each other in the first place. They always ended up walking to  ** _Rue's Brews_**  without any planning or ceremony and finished with a coffee and a plan for the following week. It was a lame ruse, he knew, to be in her presence. But, as long as he never crossed any lines of propriety, Peeta never saw the harm in it. And, Katniss offered no complaints.

It was still early morning as he sat at his computer piecing together photos and videos from Gale's surveillance file to build a timeline of events over the previous weeks. He'd informed Jo that he would be working from home so that he could tie up loose ends on all of his active cases. She was a little pissed since Haymitch was out of the office recovering from another bender and this meant she'd be stuck answering the phones alone all day.

Peeta hadn't seen Jo much over past few weeks. Their case load and schedules had them coming and going at odd times. He was particularly thankful for this because it meant not having to answer questions about Katniss or her case. He had a good poker face, but not good enough to fool the investigative mind of Johanna Mason. She had a knack for catching the slightest inflection of voice or flicker of an eye to determine when someone was lying or leaving something out. She'd be able to see right away that Katniss was more than just the usual client to him. And he certainly couldn't let her find out that he allowed Katniss to come on surveillance with him. He just wasn't up to the challenge.

As he scrolled through pics, he couldn't help but wonder about the woman that had captivated him from the moment she'd walked into  **Mockingjay**.

 _What would Katniss do if she discovered that Gale was cheating?_  
Would she forgive him?  
Would she leave him?  
Would they reconcile?  
Why did he care what the outcome would be?

He didn't try to fool himself. He knew his interest in Katniss was growing under the surface of his skin; nagging at him like a blossoming itch that wouldn't go away. It was like the kind of itch that seemed to migrate to a different spot every time you scratched it. And just when you'd think you had it nailed, it'd rear it's head again. No, Peeta was no fool. He didn't try to fool himself. He remained professional. But, in his most solitary hour, he was free to let his mind wander over the possibilities of what could be. He indulged himself the thoughts. He allowed himself the questions, although the answers were never clear. He wasn't sure he even wanted or needed an answer. It was what it was.

_Why did his very definition of the perfect woman have to come in an exquisite package that was already married to someone else?_

_What if he'd met her at a different time and place?_

_What if she and Gale ended up divorcing?_

_Was it even smart or sane to hope for a chance with a woman who was, at the most, married, or at the least, newly divorced?_

_If she was unhappy, why didn't she just leave anyway?_

He'd known since he and Delly parted that what he was looking for in a woman was not encased in the Cartwright package. It took her leaving for him to admit what had been bubbling under the surface since high school. For the first time in his life, he allowed himself to form a vision of the woman he wanted to be with instead of longing for the familiarity that he'd grown up with.

Of all the women in Los Angeles, the one that fit the very model of his vision had happened to walk into his establishment and happened to need his help. She happened to be smart  _and_  stunning  _and_  strong  _and_  soft all at once. And she happened to be married to someone else.

* * *

Sal had finally settled down at his feet since having breakfast, a brisk walk and a few rounds of fetch at the dog park. Peeta studied some shots of Gale, who looked more like a brawny prize fighter than an attorney.

Peeta allowed his mind to recall the conversation from the previous night with his best friend, Finnick, who had come into the city from Long Beach to scout some properties. He'd met Finnick and his wife, Annie, years ago in much the same way that he'd met Katniss. Annie approached their agency under the suspicion that Finnick was cheating. Peeta worked on the case and discovered that he was actually moonlighting as a real estate agent because he was afraid to tell his wife that he wanted to ditch his corporate job in exchange for more flexibility and less stress. They had been expecting their first child and he wanted to prove that he could make a go of it before worrying Annie unnecessarily.

The late evenings and long hours away on weekends began to take a toll on their marriage as Annie's suspicions grew. It didn't take long for Peeta to recognize that pictures of Finnick entering and leaving homes with women, men and sometimes entire families did not mean that he was cheating. He was overjoyed to reveal to a frantic Annie that her beloved was not being unfaithful. She'd been so relieved and happy, that she urged Finnick to quit his job to pursue his passion fulltime. He proved to be so good at it that he now headed his own brokerage specializing in beachside properties, leaving him plenty of time for his family and to pursue his passion...surfing. They were one of the success stories that Peeta clung to when the gravity of what his job entailed became too much.

Peeta had, against professional wisdom, remained friends with the couple and formed a bond with Finnick in particular. He confided in him in a way that he didn't even with his own brothers. He was the one person, besides Johanna, that he considered a true friend.

* * *

_**The Previous Night** _

_They sat on the deck of **Acapulco Mexican Restaurant**  with a view of the marina. The essence of the setting sun and sound of seagulls had a calming effect on Peeta and allowed him to center his thoughts. The beer was cold, the food was excellent and the constant lapping of the water against the dock was a welcome change to traversing the streets of LA looking for wayward loved ones._

_Finnick stared at him, his face expressionless as Peeta felt the guilt and shame wash over him once again. He thought for a moment it had been a mistake to trust even his closest friend with his traitorous feelings towards Katniss._

_The bronze-haired man fingered the gold bracelet that he and his wife wore as a matching pair. They'd had them made for their fifth wedding anniversary, specially designed by Annie, herself an artist. The band was simple. But in the center was a bird, the likes of which Peeta had never seen before, encased in a circle with an arrow clenched in its beak. It was a symbol of their undying love and devotion for each other. Peeta didn't get it, but knew that his friend had a special affinity for birds. He thought perhaps that had something to do with the design. As for the arrow, it only made him think of Katniss._

_Toying with the bracelet was a familiar habit of Finnick's, particularly when he pondered something important. Peeta averted his eyes towards the dock, pushing aside small whispers of jealousy of the life his friend shared with his one true love. He wished deep down that he shared the kind of bond with a woman that Finnick had with Annie. It's all he'd wanted for as long as he could remember. He was beginning to wonder what was wrong with him. Why was he so picky? Why was he falling for someone who was completely unavailable to him?_

_"Sounds like an interesting case...and client." Finnick took a long, slow drink from his beer, his eyes crinkling as he surveyed the scene around him. He looked at his friend before choosing his words very carefully._

_"Did I ever tell you that when I met Annie she was engaged to someone else?"_

_"No, you didn't." Peeta glanced up with a mild note of surprise in his response._

_"Well, she was; to some jackass named Brutus that her parents kept pushing her towards. I got to know Annie when she moved into the campus apartment across the hall from me. I was drawn to her right away, but, there was just...something about her that I couldn't shake in spite of the fact that I knew she was with someone else."_

_Peeta was afraid to look up and catch Finnick's eye. He was afraid for his friend to recognize the hope that he was igniting in him; hope that he was sure would be doused once Katniss' case was finished._

_"The more I got to know her the more I realized that she just wasn't that happy with the guy. I...I know it sounds arrogant, and I'm anything but arrogant...right?"_

_Peeta couldn't hold back the laughter that bubbled up from his chest. "Sure, Finn. Anything but."_

_"What?" His friend extended both palms skyward and hunched his shoulders simultaneously _, offering a look of mock confusion_._

_"Nothing. Go on with your story, man," Peeta chuckled._

_"I mean this Brutus guy was big, brawny, wealthy...and a complete ass plug. You know Annie; she's a gentle soul. We all lived in campus housing at the time and they used to come into the restaurant where I waited tables in college. He was abrasive to her and it used to piss me off. But..."_

_Finnick paused to give Peeta time to meet his gaze before continuing._

_"I wanted nothing more than to grab her and kiss the shit out of her so she'd know how I felt. But, I couldn't, even though I knew she was feeling something for me, too."_

_He held Peeta's gaze steadily and nodded his head ever so slightly, leaning forward to drive home his point. "I knew that even if we ended up together, at some point, she might not trust me because I crossed that line, as thin and as grey as it was. I couldn't live with that thought."_

_The waitress approached the table to check on them and Finnick ordered another round of beers. He'd gotten to know his investigative friend over the last couple of years and knew how important his ethics were to him. He was fiercely loyal and uncommonly good. He didn't get caught up in social trends that strayed from his moral compass. He knew that was what eventually drove a wedge between Peeta and Delly, even before she cheated. He didn't play the games by anyone's rules but his own. Finnick didn't think there was a woman in the whole of Los Angeles that deserved a guy like Peeta, except for maybe someone like his Annie. But, it appeared as though his friend had met someone that he felt a connection with. Finnick also knew that Peeta was not one to fall easily. He wanted his friend to understand that he did not judge him harshly for having feelings for a married woman, but that there was a way to convey his feelings without sacrificing his principles._

_Once the waitress left to get their drinks, he continued on with his story. "So, I decided to, as subtly as I could, make her realize that she deserved better. And that I was that 'better'. I bided my time. I was there for her when she wanted to talk. I listened, but kept my feelings to myself. I was honest with her and told her that she wasn't ungrateful or selfish for wanting more out of life. I was honest with her when I thought he was treating her like shit. And I told her that love isn't supposed to hurt; that it should make you feel like you're walking on clouds. I mean sure, marriage takes work. But, you shouldn't feel like you're moving bricks all the fucking of the time."_

_Peeta nodded and recalled what those last few months with Delly were like. The constant bickering kept him on edge; bickering which resulted from their desire to lead very different lives. Although he had been hurt by her infidelity, there was a sense of relief when the relationship ended. He just wished he'd had the courage to end it before then. But, he'd been taught by his father that you don't run out on a relationship when things get tough. You stick it out, the elder Mellark had told him countless times. He vowed, after the breakup, to not waste his time with anyone else, unless it was the real deal._

_He stopped using his parents' marriage as an example when he pictured himself 25 years in the future...having settled for less than true love. Sure, he'd dated a couple of girls to get over Delly. Jo was always shoving him towards someone new saying, "All you need is some new pussy to get your mind right." While he loved his friend with the protectiveness of a big brother, he didn't agree with her view on love and relationships._

_"So...what happened?" He was curious to see where Finnick was going with revealing something so personal between he and Annie._

_"Well, one night he tried to talk her into doing something she didn't want to do. She wouldn't tell me at the time what it was, but I knew it was something sexual and perverted. She came to my place crying and upset. I just held her and listened to her. I told her that if someone's morals and life decisions crossed the line for you, that you really needed to evaluate how important that relationship is to you."_

_Peeta looked at his friend in genuine surprise. He knew how much he loved Annie now and could only imagine the strength it took to hold back and be objective when the feelings were fresh and new. "Get the fuck outta here. You actually said that?"_

_"Impressive, huh? I actually meant that shit, too." The burst of laughter from the two men drew looks from the next table. The waitress arrived with their beers and the serious tone descended on the conversation once again._

_"All jokes aside, what happened next?" Peeta was curious._

_"She dumped him the next day."_

_"Did you guys get together then?"_

_"No. Hell no. It was too soon. I wanted to see where her head was. It tortured me to watch this ass-wipe show up for weeks and pound on her door, crying and screaming like a wounded dog. I just watched from a distance to make sure he didn't get crazy. But, I thought for sure she'd fold and go back to him. She didn't. One night when he was camped outside her door and refused to leave, I went out to tell him to pipe down so we could get some sleep. Needless to say, we got into a shoving match which ended with me punching him in the fucking mouth. Annie called the cops and took my side, along with all of our other neighbors. That's when I knew she was ready. From that point on, I just let nature take its course."_

_"What would you have done if she'd gone back to him?"_

_"I would've still loved her, but as a friend. A reluctant friend, that is. But, I would've felt sorry for her for allowing others to dictate her life. She wouldn't have been my Annie, if that had happened. She'd have been someone totally different, if that makes any sense."_

_"It does."_

_"The fact that she had the strength to leave and choose for herself without being rescued just made me want her even more. I wouldn't have to wonder if she was with me because I just happened to be the guy who freed her. And, here we are. I couldn't be happier, man."_

* * *

Peeta used to chide himself for being a virtual empath, for being too emotionally porous and absorbing the feelings and moods of those around him. Until he became an investigator, that is. He learned quickly that it was the greatest tool in his arsenal and he relied on it heavily. Where most would see an incident or interaction and say,  _Nah. It's probably nothing_ , or I _'m making too much of it_ , he followed his hunch. He found that most people simply didn't pay very close attention.

Peeta had grown accustomed to being teased for his observant and sensitive nature. It was a side of him that he suppressed with his teammates in college, and most of all, his mother. She'd often punish him for what she called  _staring_  or  _eavesdropping_. She hated it. It embarrassed her. He discovered at an early age that he liked watching people; that he was attuned to unspoken intentions and connections between individuals.

He'd paid attention. That night. Outside the  ** _Slag Heap Bar_**  while Gale talked with his cohorts. While Gale did make some physical contact with each member of his team as they parted that night, it was his connection with one in particular that stood out to someone as observant as Peeta Mellark. He smacked Thom heartily on the back of his shoulder. He embraced Michael Thresh in a teasing bro-hug. He gave Mrs. Seeder an affectionate peck on the cheek. And his friendly fist bumps with Crane and Vo bespoke a mutual camaraderie. It was the way he tapped Madge Undersee's forearm as he said ' _good night_ ' that made Peeta focus his camera view a little tighter. What would have been innocuous to most was telling to him.

He grabbed her elbow in a friendly enough gesture, but it was the way his hand trailed softly from there and down towards her wrist that caught his eye; only using the fingertips and lingering gently on the palm before pulling away. It only lasted a couple of seconds, but was punctuated by a fleeting soft look between the two that only the man behind the camera noticed.

In his line of work, he'd learned that clients are not willing to jeopardize their marriages, fortunes and family units unless there is ironclad evidence of an affair. They're looking for the ' _money shot_ '. Only then will jilted spouses have enough proof to accuse a cheating partner. Only then can they come to grips with the suspicions they've had all along; once it's thrust square in their faces. When he and Jo took on a client, they did so with the intention to follow it all the way through…good or bad. The worst thing you could do was to send a client out the door with more questions than answers created by questionable pictures and unexplained interactions.

Photos of spouses sharing a meal with someone else were usually no good. Having lunch or dinner with someone, particularly a coworker, could be explained away. And it usually was. One client was presented with pictures of her husband holding hands and gazing into the eyes of another woman and he was still able to convince her that the photo simply did not represent what was really going on.

It was for these reasons that Peeta Mellark began relying heavily on video surveillance. Snapshots are simply that; brief moments in time in which something appears to be. But video represents a continuum of incidents that are undeniable. Capturing photos from video stills was easy enough, allowing him to save presenting the full video to the client only when he was sure he had enough to go on. The photos he presented to Katniss at his apartment were not enough to question a marriage. But, the live interaction between the two of them was definitely enough to raise an eyebrow. Rather than alarming Katniss at this point, he instead filed it away with his theory and continued to follow Gale Hawthorne without Katniss' presence.

He spotted them leaving restaurants, sporting events and even once from the  _ **L'Hermitage**_  hotel. But, one quick check with a trusted source revealed that it was a place of lodging for a client of the firm. No good. The only thing these latest pictures revealed was that he relied heavily upon Madge and spent the majority of his long work day with her. No surprises there. This information would not give Katniss reason for pause at all. He'd have to keep at it.

He was sitting at his computer, trying to come up with ideas when his phone buzzed.

_Katniss: You there?_

Peeta: Yes. I'm here.

_Katniss: You busy tomorrow?_

Peeta: Why? Wuzzup?

_Katniss: Gale says he's taking a client to the Laker's game at Staples. Not sure I believe him._

Peeta. What do you want to do?

Katniss: Follow him. Duh!

Peeta: Okay. What makes you not believe him?

_Katniss: I asked if I could go and he said 'I know how you hate those things' and I love b'ball. Said he had no extra ticket and I'd be bored with all the contract talk. His eyes weren't honest._

Peeta: Lemme see what I can do.

_Katniss: I should mention that I'm going with you._

Peeta: Lemme figure out how we're going to pull this off without you being seen, Katniss. I don't think it's a very good idea. I'll get with you tomorrow.

[But his heart quickened just a little at the thought of seeing her again.]

_Katniss: K_

[After some pause...]

_Katniss: Peeta?_

Peeta: Yeah?

_Katniss: Thanks. For bending the rules for me. I owe you._

Peeta: Friends don't 'owe', Katniss. Gnight.

_Katniss: Gnight._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm fairly new to the tumblr world, but thought I'd give 'er a go. My primary reason for entering the tumblsphere is to showcase an awesome drawing by mau4hits of Peeta and his dog Sal. It's my first piece of fan-art, so I guess you could say I lost my fan-art virginity with this story. Check it out at bookfanforlife dot tumblr dot com. Thank you so much, mau4hits! You rock! Hmmmm...Now if I could just convince you to do some smutty drawings from some of my other stories [taps chin pensively]. Feel free to also post questions you may have, leave feedback or make suggestions. I'll also post previews for future chapters occasionally. UNT.


	10. The Chili Dog

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay...so, I was one of those people who thought that summertime would mean I'd have goo-gobs of time to do all of the things I love. Like writing. Like running. Like writing. Not so! It's been crazy!
> 
> Here's another chapter. I don't know how many more there will be. I'm letting the EverLark muses do the driving. When I feel it getting close to the end, Ill announce it. I hope the wait wasn't too long. Thanks for hanging in there and following this story!

 

* * *

"You look like Justin Beiber." Peeta knew this wasn't the most complimentary thing to say, but the scowl that was her reaction was worth it. Something about ' _surly Katniss_ ' was appealing to him. She wasn't easy to impress and he liked that. If you didn't count Gale and Prim, the list of people about whose opinions she gave a damn was, well...empty.

"Thanks a lot, Mellark. And you get to babysit me all night long." Katniss, who rolled her eyes sorely at him, wore low-slung jeans, a ratty green T-shirt and black converse hightop sneaks. The bad wig she wore was oversized on purpose in order to hide the mass of hair that she inherited from her father's side of the family. Cinna had braided it in a tight, intricate swirl circling her head. It was offset by a baseball cap, which only succeeded in making her head look even bigger.

Peeta found it quite troubling that he still found her attractive. Portia had helped her conceal what little cleavage she had. But, they found particular problems with her hip area. Although she was slight and athletic, her hips curved out from her tiny waist and flat stomach in a flair that was decidedly feminine. They opted in the end to cover it with a denim jacket that hung just low enough.

"Good thing it's still early spring. Otherwise I'd be on fire with all this clothing."

"I'm sorry, girl on fire, but our son doesn't share his parents' fashion sense. And most of Portia's clothes would be too big for you." Cinna's microscopic wince was detectable only to Katniss, as she stood right in front of him, before he turned to his wife and added, "Um because you're so much shorter than she is. Did you know my wife played basketball at UCLA before she became a model?"

"And...," Portia added as she waltzed over to her husband and smacked him hard on the bum. "...before you knocked me up."

"Getting me as your makeup artist was the best thing to ever happen to you, girl."

Portia hooked her arms around Cinna's shoulders and giggled at him like a crushing schoolgirl. Katniss was enthralled with how cute they were, since they had to be at least in their 40s. As far as Katniss could guess, they had to have been together at least 15 years, the age of their oldest child. The contrast of their lighthearted banter and obvious affection for each other made her relationship with Gale seem even more dysfunctional than she felt it already was. How she longed for her marriage to be as carefree and laughter-filled as theirs.

Portia was a natural beauty of at least six feet in height with the smoothest cocoa brown skin Katniss had ever seen. Cinna, barely an inch taller than his wife, was nothing to sneeze at himself with his strong chin, shimmering brown eyes and uncomplicated curly, dark hair. What made him even more attractive was that he seemed to adore his wife. And she was equally enamored of him, giggling at practically every word that left his mouth.

"Yes, it was, baby. The best thing that ever happened to me."

Cinna draped his arm around her waist and turned to Katniss in mock secrecy and whispered, "That old caveman of an athlete she was dating assumed that I was gay. And while he strutted around all sure of himself, I was making my intentions known in no uncertain terms." He redirected his gaze back to Portia and added, "And I'm thankful everyday that she fell for it."

Peeta told Katniss before their arrival that he'd met Cinna and Portia when he and Delly first came to LA. The Morenos ran a thriving business, finding steady work on movie sets and runways in makeup, hair, fashion consulting and costuming. The couple was known throughout the industry for their clean, fresh approach. Delly used them for auditions in the beginning of her career, but soon opted for a more over-the-top look with another set of artists. Peeta had remained friends with the couple, particularly Cinna, using them throughout the years when he needed a clever disguise for work. Katniss was taken aback by how normal they seemed for a couple in the entertainment industry.

"I'm sorry that a woman of your beauty will have to masquerade as a pubescent hip-hopper for the rest of the night. But, it's the best I can do on such short notice." He cut a wary glance at Peeta who was busy sifting through the endless piles of bottles, tubes and jars filled with what could only be described as 'industry tools'. The colors and combinations fascinated him. "And, as per our longstanding agreement, Peeta, I won't ask you what you're up to."

"That's right, man." Peeta released the jar he was examining and turned his attention back to the conversation.

"Peeta and I have always had a DON'T ASK, DON'T TELL policy when it comes to consulting my services."

"Yep! You don't ask. And I don't tell even if you  _ **do**_  ask."

"Just make sure you keep this young lady safe." Cinna pointed a finger at Peeta and glared at him over raised eyebrows.

"I'll be sure to put her somewhere she can't get hurt." Peeta hadn't even realized he'd locked eyes with Katniss until she turned away, feigning a cough to hide her reddened cheeks with her hand.

_Snap out of it, Peeta. Client._

_She's a client. Married client._

_Married to a guy who may be fucking his secretary._

Peeta forced his thoughts into a more professional space in his brain to focus on what Portia was instructing Katniss to do.

"Let's take a look at your walk. Normally, I instruct my clients to do just the opposite of what I'm about to tell you. You need to make sure you walk like a boy. Try to downplay the natural sway of your hips."

"Like this?" Katniss walked across the Morenos' basement office-slash-studio, trying her best to imitate the lope of a teenage boy.

"What do you think, Peeta?" He felt his throat click as he dredged up an acceptable answer. He'd just become unaware that he was staring at Katniss as she walked...more specifically her ass. But, Portia noticed and offered him a slight eyebrow raise to punctuate her question.

_I think she has a nice ass._

"I think she's fine...I...I...mean  _that's_  fine. A fine walk." He shook his head and pretended to walk across the room authoritatively to hide the embarrassment in his face. "We'll probably be so far away from our target that it won't matter. I really just want her to blend in and not be recognized from a distance. There will be tens of thousands there. I think we'll be okay."

"Well then! I guess I atleast have some idea where I think you're going." Cinna chuckled at Peeta as he realized his slight slip of the tongue. "You should fit right in."

* * *

Cinna and Portia Moreno waved good-bye from their front door as Peeta pulled the bakery delivery truck out of their driveway.

"I like them," Katinss spoke as he pulled onto the freeway heading to Staples. Peeta shot a quick glance in her direction and offered only a nod in response.

"They seem to be so...I don't know...easy with each other. I don't even know if that's the right word. But, I sensed good energy from them. And  _between_  them." Katniss looked wistfully out at the passing car lights on the freeway, making Peeta wonder what was going through her pretty little mind.

"Yeah, they are an awesome couple. I love those guys. I..." Peeta stalled his words as he drove and shook his head, changing his mind about completing his sentence.

"What is it?" Katniss turned halfway in her seat in order to get a better look at him.

_Those damn eyes!_

"It's nothing really. Just personal stuff. Tonight is about you, not me."

"No, tell me. I want to hear it." Peeta could feel her grey eyes penetrating him although he kept  _his_  glued to the road. Not having to look at her made talking to her so much easier.

"It's just that...um...I envy them a little. A lot actually. When things started to go south with Delly, I sort of used them as my benchmark for the kind of relationship I want to have. I mean, I know every relationship is different. But, the way they seem so comfortable with each other, so accepting of each other and as if they would  _like_  each other even if they weren't so obviously in love. I mean, my parents didn't exactly give me a model of marriage I could admire." Peeta looked sheepishly at Katniss who was staring at him in wonder. The fact that he was confiding in her was comforting. He already knew so much about her life and her troubled marriage. It was nice to listen to him open up a bit. "I know. Kinda immature, huh?"

Katniss inhaled deeply, looking down at her hands fingering the loose threads on the denim jacket. She glanced up at the road ahead as she released a breath. "No. Not at all."

She turned to Peeta once again with a half smile on her face. "I was just thinking the same thing. Kind of freaky. Especially since I'm married. My parents, on the other hand, loved each other so much, it was sickening. If only dad hadn't died, there'd be a happy ending to that story."

Peeta palmed the back of his neck, a nervous habit he'd had developed as a young boy whenever he stood under his mother's critical scrutiny. He knew the right thing to do was to redirect Katniss' thoughts of her marriage to a more positive place, in spite of the nature of their impending mission. And in spite of his growing attraction to her.

"Well, you're just probably feeling a little uncertain...considering. Things with you and Gale will go back to normal once you have your questions answered."

_You don't really think that, do ya, Peet?_

"That's just it, Peeta," Katniss snorted. "This  _is_  our normal." She stared down at her lap again. "I swear...we were closer as friends than we are now that we share a bed."

 _Shit_.

He didn't know what else to say. The counseling part of his job was one of his favorite. But, he was at a loss for words when it came to encouraging Katniss Hawthorne to keep her faith in a man whom he was almost certain didn't deserve her.

* * *

They arrived at the Staples Center eventually, in spite of the heavy traffic. Peeta had secured premium seats from Martin Chaff, an alcoholic buddy of Haymitch's who was a member of the sports press. He and Jo had been instrumental in helping him obtain exclusive, first run pictures of an NBA player who was cheating on his actress wife while in L.A. He whined unmercifully, but had eventually given up the seats out of gratitude and obligation.

Katniss found the occasional odd stair she received hilarious. She knew she looked odd in her get up, and the heat from walking was beginning to get to her. The binding on her breasts combined with the shirt, denim jacket and long jeans were extremely uncomfortable. She took her seat already hoping for a speedy end to this evening for more reasons than one. Peeta turned to her questioningly.

"Are you okay?" She knew he wasn't referring to her physical comfort. Her palms were feeling sweaty and she felt a bit queasy. This surveillance was so different from the others. The others were to see Gale's daily patterns, what he did, who he interacted with. Tonight was the first time that she was in this situation because she felt he was either outright lying or deliberately avoiding having her tag along. She tried to mentally prepare herself for whatever may come of the evening.

And, finally. They spot them. With the binoculars that Peeta had provided for the two of them. There was Gale seated on the left of his client, just as he'd told her. Katniss leaned over and whispered to Peeta, "I see he's babysitting the girlfriend beater tonight."

To the right of the famous and hated pop singer were two people who were obviously handlers or bodyguards or some form of extreme indulge in human capitol. The man was a tall, bald brute of a man the size of an elephant while the up-do'd woman wore garish makeup and heels far too high for a basketball game. Gale leaned into his client, chatting benevolently away as the young man simply stared ahead, only offering a mildly disinterested nod from time to time. Just as Katniss was about to lower her binoculars and chastise herself once again for her distrustful nature, Madge appeared and made her way to the seat at Gale's left.

_He didn't mention that Madge was coming._

She tried to mask her reaction from Peeta, not wanting him to witness any signs of hurt. But, he was too busy taking his camera out to begin recording. Gale looked at Madge with a look that could either be interpreted as fond or simply familiar. It wasn't clear from Katniss' point of view, but Peeta vowed to watch the video over and over again to glean some meaning later. He kept his lens on them for a good half hour before tiring enough to lower it.

"Katniss, did you know Madge was coming tonight?"

"Um...I'm not sure...if Gale mentioned it. Maybe he did and I just wasn't paying attention."

_He knows how much I like basketball. Madge hates sports._

Katniss watched as Gale drank beer and chatted with Madge. But, most of his time and attention went to pulling conversation out of his reticent client. Thoughts were swimming around in her head, making her feel sicker by the minute.

_It is part of her job, Katniss..._

_Maybe he didn't have enough tickets for both of us..._

By the third quarter, Peeta had ceased raising his camera every five minutes and Katniss' getup was starting to bunch up on her nerves. She sat quietly fiddling with the ring in her pocket. Peeta felt as though he could feel her uneasiness seep right into his skin. But, he had to make good time of the proximity to Gale. He wanted more than anything to comfort her, though.

"Peeta."

Her voice was so low he hardly heard it over the hum of the crowd.

"Peeta."

He finally startled slightly when he realized she was speaking to him. "Yeah? I'm sorry." Katniss looked flushed and troubled.

"I'm not...uh...feeling so well. Can we leave?"

He looked at her with an unmistakable sadness. Watching her go through this was more discomfiting than any other moment in his career as a P.I.

"Um...sure. Sure, Katniss. I'll get you back to your car. I can even take you home if you don't feel up to driving."

"No. Just need to go. Last quarter's almost over and the traffic is going to be horrible." Before he finished packing his camera, Katniss was already up out of her seat and ascending the stairs to the exit. It didn't take him long to catch up with her.

"Hey." He reached out to grab her shoulder once they were in the hallway of the rotunda. Katniss spun around and fixed him with a look that showed her pain and embarrassment. "I just...he didn't mention that Madge would be here, did he?"

She shook her head no, clearly angry and embarrassed.

"I'm sure it's nothing, Katniss."

* * *

He didn't know what questions to ask or even if she'd answer them. He just knew he wanted to do whatever it took to make her feel better. They walked in silence the rest of the way to the vehicle. Katniss had lost all desire to keep with the disguise and ripped the cap and wig off the minute they exited the building. The stares she got from a few passersby went unregistered. When they arrived at the bakery truck, she asked Peeta for a little privacy to climb in back and remove the binding from her breasts and ditch the jacket.

"It's suffocating me."

Once done, she sat on the back tailgate and removed the massive number of hairpins holding her mane in place.

"Will you help me get the ones in the back?"

Peeta nervously, but with delight, assisted her in removing the pins so she could undo the coil of her braid. The feel of her hair against his fingers was etched into his brain, with or without his consent. Then, she undid her braid and shook her hair completely free.

"Whew. Much better. I was beginning to sweat." The braided coil had created a pattern of waves more intricate than what she had naturally. The overhead lights bounced off her mane and face, creating shadows that masked the turmoil ripping its way through her life at the moment. With the exception of the worldly sadness in her eyes, she looked like a fresh-faced young woman headed to a concert with a group of friends, wearing jeans and sneaks.

"You got a belt? I'm tired of these pants hanging off my ass."

"I'm sure I do, somewhere in here." Peeta fished through his duffle bag used for the gym and only came up with the green belt from his tae-kwon-do classes.

"How 'bout a sash?" That drew a smile and his heart lightened just a bit. She fed the belt through the loops and tied it off, leaving more than half of it to hang lithely at her hip. It wasn't ideal but, it did the trick.

Leaving at the top of the fourth did little to avoid the traffic piling out of the center. Katniss stared blankly out the passenger window, mindlessly chewing on the tip of her tongue. They crept along until Peeta finally had an idea that could lighten her mood.

"Hey! Guess what?"

"What?"

"We didn't get anything to eat. You hungry?"

Katniss wasn't feeling very hungry, her stomach was too tied in knots. But she knew she was not ready to be alone. She knew she was not ready for Peeta to leave her just yet. His presence had been the only thing that had kept her from phoning Gale on his cell and asking why the hell he had told her she couldn't come. In fact, his presence over the last few months had been the only thing that had kept her from losing it altogether. He was so patient, kind and inherently good that it kept the jaded monster at bay.

Katniss stared blankly ahead as the truck picked its way through traffic. "You'd think that given all the time we spend apart, that he'd at least want me with him whenever I can be. Like tonight."

Peeta was stunned into silence. He did the only thing he could think to do. He reached out and grabbed her hand. He knew it was not the most professional thing to do, but she needed reassurance.

"Hey, don't think about it right now. I know this great little drive thru dive that's nearby. They have  _the best_ chili dogs ever. I say we grab one and talk about how you should approach Gale when you get home." Katniss consented with a half-hearted smile and a nod of her head.

"I haven't had a chili dog in three years," she said as if speaking to the universe instead of to Peeta specifically. "Too busy keeping an eye on my  _ridiculous body_." Katniss chuckled sarcastically as thoughts of Gale's obsession with her appearance made her even angrier.

Peeta hesitated slightly before adding, "Then it's long overdue."

When they pulled away from the drive thru with two foot-longs with extra chili, cheese and peppers on the side, Katniss got an idea.

"Hey! Pull over to that drugstore, Peeta."

"Um...sure. Okay." Peeta pulled into a spot, preparing to ask Katniss what was so urgent. But, before the words could leave his mouth, she was out of the vehicle and headed inside. She returned to the truck carrying a single white bag. Her mood seemed lighter, but there was still trouble brewing in her eyes. She settled herself in her seat and took a deep breath before exhaling.

"Okay, now. I got us a six pack. Is there someplace we can go park and eat these hot dogs before they get cold?"

Peeta refereed the war between his nervousness and his excitement at sitting somewhere alone with Katniss.

"Um...sure. There's a little park near here that's very safe. Are...are you sure? I thought you weren't feeling well."

"I don't want to go home yet, Peeta." She pleaded at him with her face. "I know you don't get paid to babysit me, but...I just really need to get tipsy right now."

Peeta threw the truck in reverse and headed for the park.

* * *

The park wasn't deserted, in spite of the hour. Parents pushed strollers. Runners took nighttime jogs around a glistening man-made lake. People talked animatedly in small groups as they soaked up the balmy air. Katniss claimed a bench for them not far from their parking space, stating that she needed fresh air.

Peeta twisted the cap off a bottle of beer before handing it to her and claiming his own. Katniss unwrapped his hotdog, placing it on the bench between them before settling into her own. The first bite into hers was followed by a delighted roll of her eyes and a throaty moan that left Peeta wondering if this is what she looked like when she...

"Oh. Mah. Gawd. That is fucking heavenly." She chewed in ecstacy, exclaiming after each delicious bite.

Peeta, who began to feel more relaxed after a couple of swigs of beer, was amused at her enthusiasm for such a simple thing. "I'm glad you like it."

Katniss washed down each bite with a sip of her beer until both were finished. Peeta, who had long ago polished off his meal, looked on with a smile on his face. She had stretched her legs out in front of her and leaned back against the bench with her hands clasped over her stomach. He watched silently as she took deep satisfied breaths with her head thrown back and her eyes closed. Her chest rose up and fell down as she seemed to relish in the night air.

He gathered up the wrappings and stuffed them inside the plastic bag from the drugstore. "Want another?"

Katniss blinked her eyes open slowly and turned to him with a smile. She really was hard to figure out. "Sure."

As she turned, he noticed that she still had a dab of chili in the left corner of her mouth. He didn't know if it was the beer or the night air, but her eyes were glistening and she seemed more relaxed. Radiant. He found it both funny and extremely sexy that she sat before him completely unaware that she had food on her mouth. If he'd had his preference, he'd have leaned in and licked it from her lips and then shared the remains with her through a slow and languid kiss. But, that could not be.

Before his brain even registered what he was doing, he'd reached out and swiped away the chili with the pad of his thumb. Her lips parted slightly as they locked eyes with each other. He saw her tongue dart out just a hair before realization settled on them both simultaneously.

She quickly straightened herself and turned away, feeling the heat of embarrassment rise to her face.  _God, Katniss! You're not that horny are you?_

Peeta jerked his hand away as if she were suddenly engulfed in flames. The interaction only lasted seconds, but he already felt his jeans tighten.  _How is it that she can have such an effect on me? This is completely unprofessional._

"I...I saw...chili. There...on your..." He hadn't been this ashamed since his brother caught him jerking off in bed when he was fourteen.

"I didn't have a napkin...dear God, Peeta!" Niether of them could look at the other.

"I'm so sorry, Katniss. That was completely unprofessional."

"I'm such an idiot! Gah!" She buried her face in her hands.

_I can't beleive I was about to lick his damn finger! I gotta get some sex!_

Peeta ran his large hand over the length of his face and let out an exasperated sigh, trying desperately to think of something to get the interaction back on track. The professional track. But, before he could speak, he heard Katniss begin to laugh. She was practically doubled over on the bench as the laughter built in intensity. He couldn't help but join in. Her laughter was infectious and before he knew it, they'd both collapsed in a fit of giggles. It was either laugh or die of embarrassment.

By the time her giggles died down, her raven hair had fallen partially in her face and her cheeks were flushed. She pushed the stray strands away as she finally became brave enough to look at Peeta again. He had the cutest, most bashful look on his face. He really was adorable.

 _Whomever ends up with him_ , she mused,  _will be a lucky woman. Hot guys who don't know the extent of their hotness are always the sexiest_.

"I say we call it even. And! Never tell another living soul about that."

"Deal."

* * *

As their mutual shame subsided, the conversation picked up. But, each time Peeta steered the conversation to their business arrangement, Katniss would turn the inquiry around.

"I really don't want to talk about any of that right now."

"Well, are you ready for me to take you to your car?"

Katniss leaned forward and retrieved another beer for herself and handed one to Peeta. She looked at him under raised eyebrows.

"No." She leaned back against the bench, twisted the cap from her beer and took a swallow, never breaking the gaze. "I want to play  _investigate the investigator_. Tell me something about yourself."

"There's not much to tell."

"Okay. Then here's a question, P.I."

He uncapped his beer and drank warily. He was enjoying this relaxed version of Katniss Hawthorne, but was unsure where this was leading. It was clear that the alcohol had started to work its way into her system.

"On an almost daily basis, you record spouses cheating on their loved ones. You console damsels...and dudes...in distress at learning that the person they love is cheating." She turned to face him more fully with a look of genuine concern lacing her monologue. "You've even had your own brush with being cheated on."

Peeta simply nodded.

"Just for the record," she leaned in to whisper conspiratorially. "She was a damn fool."

Peeta cleared his throat nervously. "What are you getting at, Katniss?"

She took a deep breath and another drink from her bottle before facing him. Not a trace of amusement was left to her pending question. "Are you jaded?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you still believe in love?" She asked the question as if her faith in the human race depended on his answer. "Do you believe that two people can be genuinely..." Katniss flailed her hands about as she sought the words to form her thoughts. "...happy, in love with each other, attracted to each other, horny for each other until the end of their natural lives?"

The delicate flesh between her eyebrows creased in concern and doubt. Peeta could see her pulse beating along the supple skin on her neck. Why the hell did he have to get her as a client? Why couldn't Jo have taken this case?

"I do." He squirmed nervously in his seat, pausing to drink some courage from his bottle before continuing. "I believe that real love exists in boat loads. People are just too distracted or self-absorbed to see what's right in front of them. People fall in love for all the wrong reasons and build their relationships on weak foundations that are easy to break. I believe that when two people really love each other that there's nothing that can break that bond. I know now that most of my relationship with Delly was formed out of habit and familiarity. Once it was over, I felt a sense of relief. It never should've been. I vowed afterwards that I would never settle for less than the real, genuine thing. I don't let what I see in my work get inside of me. But, I also know I haven't...found what I'm looking for. I won't settle until I do. And when I find her..."

Katniss' face was motionless, but for a flickering of her eyes, as she listened to him.

"...she won't know what hit her. She won't go a day without knowing how much I am absolutely in love with her. I won't be able to stop myself from kissing her and wanting to hold onto what we have because I've seen too often what can happen. I don't let what I see change who I am or what I believe. So to answer your question, no. I'm not jaded."

Katniss looked away thoughtfully as Peeta leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees. His beer bottle hung loosely between his fingers as he surveyed the ground.

"I just can't afford to think like that. That kind of love...is risky. The whole it leaves when it's gone is just too much."

"You deserve that kind of love, Katniss. You deserve that and then some. But, you have to want it."

* * *

**Thanks for reading. Please review and let me know what you think!**


	11. Chapter 11: The Connections

Once the beers were finished, Peeta drove them to the parking lot of Rue's Brews to pick up Katniss' car. The open air as well as the ride had dulled the effect of the beers she'd consumed. Peeta offered to follow her home to ensure she got there safely.

"I know practically every cop on duty tonight. If you get stopped, I can be of some help."

"No, Peeta. It's late. You've babysat me enough already."

"Well, if you do get stopped just, um..." Peeta extended his hand and let it fall by his side, trying to offer up some other way for her to find value in their friendship. "...drop my name."

"Peeta, I'm fine."

"Just please say you'll do it, Katniss."

"Okay, okay. I will." Katniss blinked slowly as a bright smile lightened her features. She'd always had a hard time accepting help from others, a result of inheriting her father's stubborn pride.

"Great." Peeta wished his sigh of relief wasn't so obvious.

"Good night, Peeta. And thanks for everything. I mean...sitting in the park and listening to me rant."

She schooled her face to hide the undercurrent of embarrassment that still lingered from their talk in the park. She didn't open up easily to others...especially men. Hers and Gale's relationship required little talking. It's just how they were. It worked for them. But, she was beginning to wonder what she'd been missing out on. She knew that if it had not been for the beers loosening her tongue, she'd have never let her emotions show in the way that they did. But, she found that she wasn't regretting it. She just hoped that Peeta didn't think she was some sort of emotionally retarded flake.

"It's my job, Katniss."

She hesitated only slightly before nodding and turning away. He didn't like the way that sounded. He didn't want her to think that he was nonchalant about their times together. But, then again, she  _was_  a married woman. She  _was_  a client. He couldn't have her knowing that he actually liked the times she was with him; in spite of the fact that it bent the rules. If only he could tell her the truth.

_That if circumstances were different, he'd be asking her out._

_That tonight felt like the closest thing to a date he'd ever experience with her._

_That he sometimes wished Gale to be cheating so he'd have at least a snowball's chance in hell with her._

But, at the same time he cringed at the thought of wishing that sort of pain on her. He didn't want her to think that his listening was just part of what he was paid to do.

"That didn't sound right. What I really meant is that I...I'm glad I could be there for you. I wish you weren't going through this, but since you are, I'm happy to help in any way that I can. Not just professionally. I know I'm your hired gun, but I do think it's safe to call each other friends a-after tonight."

Peeta looked at her hopefully with lifted brows and thought for a moment he might have made a mistake in uttering those words. Then, he saw what he hoped was a look of relief that made her face glow. She nodded eagerly, "I think so. And I'd like that, Peeta."

* * *

When she arrived home, Victor was antsy from being alone for hours. She fed him a quick nighttime snack and headed immediately for the showers to wash away the evening. She stood under the spray for some time trying to sort through the jumble of thoughts and feelings running through her body.

_Is there something going on between Madge and Gale?_

_If Madge's presence was innocent, why hadn't he mentioned that she'd be there?_

_Did Gale not tell me because he felt guilty about not being able to take me to the game and allowing Madge to come instead?_

_Was Madge really needed for the work that Gale had to do tonight?_

_She also hasn't called me lately. What's up with that?_

_It can't be Madge. Gale couldn't stand her when we were kids._

She and Madge had been friends, though not  _besties_ , back in school. They were both loners for different reasons. Besides Gale, Katniss never allowed herself to get close to anyone else. Gale was two grades ahead of her, which often meant that she had lunch alone. That's where the new blonde girl had stepped in.

Madge had purposely flunked out of the fancy private school her dad insisted that she go to, and started attending the local public school in her sophomore year. She was instantly popular, but most of the kids in the new school were intimidated by her father's wealth and position. Since she despised what she called  _suck-ups_  and  _social_   _climbers_ , Madge also spent a lot of time alone in spite of her popularity.

Neither of the girls had a clique they hung around and ended up with each other a lot at school. Eating lunch, sitting next to each other at assemblies, partnering for sports activities. Katniss had expected the new girl to be a snob, but found her to be alright. Katniss rarely carried the conversation, leaving Madge to do most of the talking. This suited the both of them just fine.

She remembered how Gale would clam up whenever Madge was around. She'd always assumed it was because of what he'd said about her; that she was just a wealthy brat he couldn't possibly have anything in common with. He also couldn't understand how Katniss could befriend her since they were so different from each other. Katniss would always defend her only other friend, telling Gale, "She's cooler than you think." Perhaps there'd been something there that she'd missed.

She and Madge had grown closer as the years went on, although they shunned the  _BFF_  tag most girls chose to anoint their friends with. They kept in touch through FaceBook and occasional letters throughout college until Madge decided to make the move to Los Angeles.

When Madge approached Gale for a job, Katniss was sure that his ego factored heavily into him finally offering her one. He'd said something about the '... _Senator's daughter having to work for her poor white trash neighbors_ '. Katniss had winced at his characterization of the situation but chose to ignore it to help her friend find employment. Madge turned out to be a go-getter who could handle any task Gale threw her way. Now, Katniss wondered if the only female friend she'd ever had, besides Prim, was cheating with her husband.

* * *

After showering, Katniss settled down on the sofa with Victor tucked into her body for comfort. Before long, she heard his shallow breathing as he drifted off to sleep. She stroked his soft, black coat and surfed the channels for something to watch. She passed up a rerun episode of the sitcom that Peeta's ex-girlfriend, Del Cartwright was on. She didn't normally watch the show and wasn't about to start now.

"Nothing. Television is such crap."

She turned off the device and picked up her E-reader from the side table to continue reading  **The Shining**  by Stephen King.

She tried focusing on the story line to keep her mind off her current troubles. Yet, amidst all of her confusion and angst, thoughts of Peeta kept popping up. She knew he'd been hired to do a job, but couldn't help wondering if he was as kind and patient with all of his clients.

_He's probably nice to all of his clients, Katniss. It's his job._

_He has the most beautiful blue eyes._

_I like the way his lip curls up on the left when he smiles._

_I wonder what kind of boyfriend he was to Del._

* * *

The sound of the alarm chime was the next conscious thing to register in her sleepy brain. She raised her head and squinted at the time on the cable device.

"12:52?"

Victor was still curled up next to her and the E-reader was flat on her chest. ' _What the hell?_ ' crossed her mind just as Gale appeared in the doorway.

"Hey. I...I didn't think you'd still be up."

"Well, I'm not. Technically." She sat up stiffly, waking Victor and sending him off to his bed in the washroom. She looked up at her husband, who offered her only a guilty smile in return. His grey eyes seemed smokey with sadness. He didn't sit beside her nor lean down to kiss her as he normally did. Instead, he reached down and ruffled her already mussed braid as a 'hello'; similar to the way he did when they were children and he fancied himself so much more mature than she was.

"I must have fallen asleep reading." He still didn't sit down even after she made room on the sofa for him. Katniss felt the anger begin to rise in her chest, but remembered Peeta's warning to keep her emotions at bay.

_How dare he waltz in here at this hour and act like nothing's wrong?_

Instead of giving in to her instincts to strike out, she decided to rely on another of her hunting skills. Tracking; to engage him in conversation and give him an opportunity to tell her about his evening.

"How was the game?"

"Lakers won."

"I know, Gale. I saw the highlights.". She waited for him to acknowledge that she'd missed out on a favulous game. He just stood there awkwardly. "Did your client behave himself?"

"Yeah. I'm sure he was sedated with something, though."

"Anything... _exciting_  happen?"

"Nope. Not a thing." Gale, who was still standing, stretched his arms wearily over his head and sputtered out a long yawn. Katniss stood up from the sofa, prompting him to take a step back towards the door leading to their bedroom.

"Then why are you just getting in at nearly 1am?"

He stilled his steps and stopped to look at her as though he were a trapped animal. "I...the traffic is horrendous leaving these things. You know that."

"I know. But, I also know that it doesn't take 3 hours to get from Staples to here."

"Well, I did stop off at the office to tie up some stuff to sort of wait out the traffic."

"At this hour? Must've been important." Katniss folded her arms across her chest and leaned all of her weight on one foot.

"Work is always important. What are you asking me exactly, Kat?" Gale turned slowly around to fully face her, his eyes searching with a look of confusion that was evident.

Katniss realized she'd have to trap this animal with a different technique. She thought of Peeta's advise and retreated with a long exhale, her body relaxing. But, her mind did not. "It's nothing. Let's just go to bed."

Gale turned rapidly towards the bedroom as if he were just as relieved for her to drop this line of questioning as she was.

_No mention of Madge._

_Not even a hug._

"Ah, boy. I'm exhausted," he shot back over his shoulder.

She stood silently next to the sofa and watched his back as he retreated and muttered to herself, "Suddenly, so am I."

By the time Gale finished his shower, she was already pretending to be asleep and thinking about her next move.

* * *

Breakfast the following morning was eerily silent, with only the clatter of dishes as a backdrop to the tension between them. Katniss pretended to focus on her plate, but caught Gale casting furtive glances at her when he thought she wasn't looking. She ignored him just to make him squirm.

Clearing his throat, he finally said, "I have to go out of town next week. I'll only be gone a couple days...from Thursday to Saturday."

Unable to look him in the eyes for fear she'd gouge them out, Katniss nodded and swirled her fork across her plate.

"Where to?"

He cleared his throat, "San Francisco. Picking up another client. I...um...have to go do the sign-up."

"I see." Thinking on her feet like the hunter that she was, she added, "I was planning for us to do something together this Saturday, but I'll just call Madge to see what she's doing." Now, her crystal colored eyes were locked on his face, waiting for a reaction.

Gale's head shot up. His face was emotionless for a few seconds as he studied the woman across from him. He blinked a couple of times and responded, "She might be free. B-But, I'm leaving lots for her to do."

"Okay. Well. I guess it's me and Victor then" Katniss caught herself as she realized she was tying knots in her napkin. "Hey, maybe I'll go up to visit Prim."

His expression brightened, "Hey! That sounds like a great idea. I think you should."

"Do you need me to do anything for your trip?"

"No. Thanks, um, the office travel agent is handling all that."

"Okay, then. I guess I'll go call Prim and tell her." She stood to wash her dishes in the sink before heading to get dressed for the day. As she passed the breakfast table, Gale grabbed her arm.

"Hey, Catnip."

She looked down at his hand as if it belonged to a total stranger. She  _felt_  as if a total stranger were touching her. Gale took a deep breath as his thumb traced circles on her smooth, tan skin.

"I know things haven't been all that great lately. But, thanks for understanding."

"No worries." She slipped from his grasp without any resistance on his part and went to dress for Victor's walk. When she emerged from their bathroom, Gale was already gone to the office.

* * *

As soon as she was in her car, she called Peeta.

"Katniss?"

"Hey, Peeta."

"Good morning." He sounded genuinely happy to hear from her, although they'd parted just hours ago. She swept aside the seeds of doubt along with thoughts that she was taking advantage of their professional relationship. She couldn't help it, though. At times it seemed as though he was the only she could talk to...the only one who understood.

"Hey, has Sal had his walk yet?" She nervously twisted a strand of hair around her finger.

"Um, no," Peeta thought this was an odd question, unless... "I was just about to take him around the block."

"Uh, do you feel like maybe going to the dog park in your neighborhood?" She subconsciously twirled the end of her braid the way she did whenever she was nervous.

"Sure. Sure, I can do that. He loves that place." Peeta chuckled as Sal circled his legs with his leash in his mouth.

"Great." Katniss breathed a sigh of relief, though it conflicted with the guilt of treating Peeta like he was at her beck and call. "Peeta I...I really appreciate...everything."

"Is everything okay, Katniss?"

"Yes! Yes, I'm okay. Just need to talk." She didn't want to reveal her suspicions over the phone and was grateful that he'd agreed to meet her with no problems.

"Okay, then I'll see you there."

"It'll take me about half an hour to get there, but I'm headed out right now."

"Bye."

"See you soon."

When Katniss arrived, Sal was already romping playfully within the gates. She couldn't help but smile at the large, spirited animal with the heart of a puppy. Victor raced up to the gate, excited to see his new friend again. Peeta waved and offered her a lopsided grin as she joined them, trailing behind Victor.

"Hey, there." Peeta saw the wide smile, but didn't buy it. It didn't reach her eyes. Katniss didn't smile much, but when she did, it was genuine.

"He...ey, Katniss. What's wrong?"

"Um..." She looked around anxiously at the others in the park. He sensed her need for privacy and offered up a solution quickly.

"You wanna let the guys play a few minutes and head to Rue's?"

"That would be perfect, Peeta." The rapid blinking of her eyes was offset only by the nervous twitching of her smile. She didn't hold his gaze, signaling that something was certainly amiss.

"Hey." She locked eyes with him finally. Peet didn't realize that he'd reached out to grab her hand in his own. The desire to comfort her was so automatic, it was a little scary. She didn't seem alarmed, so he didn't snatch his hand away as he thought he should. Besides, he didn't want to give the impression that something inappropriate was happening.

"It's going to be okay, Katniss. I promise." He doesn't know what possessed him to say those words. The last he checked, he had no control over this situation. Perhaps it was the misting of tears forming in her silver pools. They stood there like that for some time; long enough to gain a few interested stares from onlookers.

* * *

As they sipped their tea at Rue's Brews, Katniss nervously repeated for Peeta what had happened the night before after arriving home from the game.

"Okay, so Gale is going on a business trip and he's acting weird?"

"Yes, and he tried to discourage me from calling Madge about spending time together."

Peeta sipped his tea quietly as she surveyed his resources in his head.

"What travel agent does his law firm use?"

"Victory Tours." Peeta's face brightened at hearing this. He had a definite contact at Victory Tours, although he was hesitant to engage her unless absolutely necessary. In this case, Katniss was definitely worth talking to Glimmer.

"Victory Tours, huh?" He repeated this to himself more than to Katniss. His blue eyes shot up towards hers in excitement. "I have a contact there that might be able to give me some information.

"Yes, I remember you going in there on the day we observed Gale outside his law firm."

"Yeah, well. I can find out if he's really going where he says he's going and...if he's going alone."

* * *

When Peeta walked into  _Victory Tours_  later that day, the fox faced girl at the front brightened up and excitedly pointed to the corner cubicle where Glimmer sat with a telephone headset attached to her overly made up face. Glimmer was a beautiful girl in her own right, but chose to paint herself beyond recognition with way too much makeup. His history with her, though short, still caused him to be a little bit nervous and a lot cautious with her. They'd gone out on a couple of dates when Jo insisted that he needed some ' _new pussy_ ' to help him get over Delly. They'd slept together only a couple of times, during a period of weakness on his part, before he ended things with her. Peeta remembered feeling like no woman would ever find him worthy enough, thanks to all of the harsh words and putdowns from his mother over the years. When Delly cheated on him, it only magnified what he fought so hard to not believe.

_Peeta, if you don't get your shit together, you'll end up depending on me and your dad._

_No woman wants a weak man, Peeta._

_Art! Are you kidding me? how in the hell are you supposed to support a family on an artist's income?_

_I've given up on you, Peeta. You don't listen to me anyway. You're lucky Delly hasn't dumped you by now._

He knew that he could get anything out of Glimmer if he just flirted with her. But, he couldn't help feeling sick and dirty for using her in that way. It was the very reason he'd broken things off with her. She was not his type. There was no connection, other than physical, between them. Glimmer was a heavy drinker and came off as being very superficial, constantly critiquing what others wore and the way they looked. She reminded him of an aging sorority girl, much like the ones from college that he tried desperately to avoid.

He strolled towards her desk, very aware of the sideways glances he was getting from her office mates.  _Geez, how many people did she tell about us?_

He offered her a finger wave and watched her face brighten unexpectedly. Peeta watched as she completed her customer call and turned her office chair towards him. She crossed her legs seductively at the knee and pulled her shoulders back to enhance her breasts. He felt his inner eye roll in annoyance.

"Well, well. Two visits in two months. This has to be a record." She leaned forward slightly as if to retrieve something from her desk, revealing a little more cleavage. Peeta cleared his throat and averted his eyes, eliciting a satisfied glint in Glimmer's eyes.

"I was wondering if you could, ah...help me with something." Peeta shamelessly reverted to the flirting tips Jo had taught him in order to get info out of women. A natural flirt, he was not.

Glimmer licked her lips, presumably to remind him of the blowjob she'd given him on their first date. "I like helping you with things. Anything for you, cupcake."

Peeta felt his face go warm and tried his best to put on a sober expression. He really didn't come here for this. Glimmer must've picked up on this as she looked away somewhat discouraged before lifting her chin and asking, "What can I help you with, Gumshoe?"

"Um, I need a little info on someone."

Glimmer looked around warily for Mags, the old hag who ran the travel agency. She was nowhere in sight, likely out getting her Botox cocktail. She would have her head on a platter if she found out she'd been sharing client information with the handsome investigator. But, Glimmer liked him. A lot. And she wanted desperately for him to like, or at least  _need_ , her.

"What'cha got, handsome?"

"Someone who works for the law firm across the street. You guys handle that account, right?"

"Yeah, have for years." She turned towards her computer casually and asked out of the side of her mouth, "Name."

"Gale Hawthorne." Peeta made sure to speak in hushed tones as not to alert Glimmer's nosey cubicle neighbors. But, no one seemed to be paying them any attention. In fact most were on the phone. He sat on the edge of her desk to get closer.

"Ah. The hot one." Peeta raised his eyebrows in question. "Broody? Dark hair? Grey eyes? Body that wont quit?" Peeta chuckled silently before nodding.

Her fingers flew quickly across the keyboard and within seconds a document was being spit out on her desktop printer. When Peeta reached for it, Glimmer quickly intercepted it and held it to her chest.

"Not so fast, sexy. What have you done for  _me_  lately?"

_I was afraid it would come to this._

Peeta was prepared for this very scenario. His past interactions with the sexy blonde were all the same. He pulled out the secret weapon, silently thanking whomever handed out gifts and traits at birth. He'd always had a way with words.  _A good liar_ , according to his mom.

"Um, I've got some gift cards to this great new restaurant around the corner. Maybe you could take a date."

Seeing this as a sign of encouragement, Glimmer placed a hand on his knee, "Okay. Busy Friday night?"

"Ah, well. I didn't mean me." He watched her face fall and pulled out his secret weapon, "My ex-girlfriend and I got back together. So, I sorta can't."

Glimmer straightened up and smoothed her top over her breast and shot Peeta another alluring look, "Pity. Your loss. Here. Take this."

She thrust the printed document at him, seemingly annoyed. Peeta felt both horrible and spared all at the same time.

"From the looks of things, His Hotness booked a one-bedroom at a seaside bungalow in Long Beach. For the entire weekend."

She hesitated before continuing. "But, he requested amenities for two. If that means anything."

Peeta felt his heart drop. As much as he knew Katniss was likely unhappy in her marriage, he didnt like to see her facing something like this.

"Uh, it does. Thanks, Glim. I really appreciate your help." He placed the gift cards on her desk hurriedly before turning to walk away. He really hated this part of the job.

"Hey, Peet." He turned back to see what she needed. "Don't lose my number, okay?"

"I won't, Glimmer. I promise." With a nod and a sheepish grin, he left.

From the looks of the document, Gale She tells him that he's booked a one-bedroom seaside bungalow near Long Beach/Santa Monica.

That's hardly a business trip. It's right down the road.

The first call he made once back in the truck was to Finnick who used his beachside real estate connections to help him snag a reservation at a bungalow right next door to the unit Gale had rented. That part was easy. One part luck and three parts knowing the right people. The hard part was yet to come...how to tell Katniss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, guys. Very little K/P time in this chapter. I will make up for it in those to come though. I hope you enjoyed.
> 
> I love the feedback and ideas I get from you guys...like the reader who suggested that Cinna help with Katniss' disguise last chapter. I actually used that but couldn't find your email to properly thank you. So, whomever you are...THANK YOU!


	12. Chapter 12: The Condo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter kicked my hiney. I apologize for taking so long, once again. I've been struggling back and forth over which moral direction I want this story to take. In my indecision, I decided to just let the muses take me where they might, hoping that it would come to me out of the blue. Needless to say, the muses abandoned me and left me to my own indecisive devices.
> 
> But, I have to give a love-filled shout out to reader Beautiful Lie 5105 for getting me off my ass. After I read your review, I dusted myself off, knocked on the muses' door and screamed, "Wake up, dammit! I need a chapter!" Thank you, dear.
> 
> Thanks to all of you who have continued to review in the absence of updates and express your interest in this story. Smooches!

But for the fact that it was causing her pain, the storm brewing in her grey eyes was nothing short of beautiful. Peeta watched as Katniss gripped the ballpoint pen in her hand over and over again, her small hand tensing with each shaky breath that left her.

"I can't believe that son-of-a-bitch!"

"Slow your roll, there. We still don't know anything."

"What the hell do you mean? I know plenty, Peeta!"

"All we know is that he's rented a bungalow."

"A bungalow that is NOT where he told me he was going."

"A bungalow which we don't even know he's staying in. What if he's telling the truth and is headed to Sacramento and rented the bungalow for a high-maintenance client?" He saw the tornados behind her irises diminish just slightly. She broke the death stare she'd been giving him to search around the bar, as if the answer would lie on the floor. They'd opted to find another meeting place besides Rue's. It was getting too routine. Too risky. Meeting in a bar in the middle of the work day was Peeta's idea. He knew of one such place run by a crusty old drinking buddy of Haymitch's named Boggs. The man never questioned Peeta about his activities and never divulged anything he knew to his staff.

Peeta finally saw the fire in her eyes being slowly replaced with doubt.

"Then why wouldn't he tell me that?"

"Husbands and wives don't tell each other everything. Especially not about their jobs. Do you tell Gale everything you do while he's at work?"

"Not in any great detail."

"I've been doing this a while, Katniss. Sometimes things aren't what they appear to be. That can be both good and bad. But, if you want to end this with more answers than questions, rather than the other way around, you have to trust me. Otherwise, you'll blow it and you'll be asking yourself 'what if' for years to come."

Katniss swiped her nervous hand over the crown of her head to smooth the flyaway hairs that had escaped her braid. When Peeta called her to meet him, she'd dispensed with all ceremony in making herself presentable. Being married to Gale had equipped her with a set of habits she certainly wasn't raised with. One of those was not being able to leave the house at a moments without making sure she was absolutely perfect. She hated it.

"I don't want that for you. I'd feel like my job was incomplete. Just..." Peeta glanced over at the bar as Boggs busied himself preparing his setup for the evening crowd. "...trust me. Let me do this my way." Her face was still a stony wall of defiance.

_Trust me, I want nothing more than to find out this guy is cheating on you. But, I have to do my job._

"Please." She avoided his gaze even as he pleaded with her. He saw her take in a long, slow breath and signal Boggs for another round.

"Okay. But, please tell me what you have in mind. But, first I need to calm down."

Halfway through her second beer, Peeta explained that he would go down the the bungalow he'd secured on the same night Gale was due to arrive. If he saw that it wasn't him, he'd text her immediately and get the hell out of there.

"And what if it is him?"

"Let me handle that."

"I'm coming with you."

"No. You're not."

"Yes. I. Am"

"Katniss, you don't need to see that. Trust me. As pissed as you are with Gale right now, it's still going to hurt to see...if that's what happens."

She blinked back what she was surprised to realize were tears. She wasn't much of a cryer and she'd resigned herself to the possibility that Gale was lying to her weeks ago.

"What would you do? Storm the place demanding an explanation? Does seeing it make it any more or less real than a few pictures and videos will?"

She shook her head 'no'. Peeta felt his heart clench for her.

"In my experience, it's never gone well when the spouse shows up. It gets nasty real quick and it's embarrassing for everyone. Don't do that to yourself."

He reached across the table and grasped her hand, softly running his thumb along the back of it. She drew in another shaky breath as one tear fell to the napkin on the table. The feel of his hand sent a stream of warmth up her arm that settled in her chest and startled her. She hadn't felt that kind of care and concern from anyone but Prim in a really long time. She looked away to keep him from seeing just how much his touch was affecting her. It was so different from any reaction she had when Gale touched her. She attributed it to the fact that Peeta happened to be there for her at a very emotionally trying time.

_That's all it is, right?_

He mistook her tears for something altogether different as he wondered what it would be like to have Katniss love him this much. Of course, he'd never put her through this kind of anguish. She, unbeknownst to him, was wondering why she had decided to spend her life with Gale. Whether he was cheating or not, the last couple of months had taught her things about herself she wished she'd known a lot sooner.

"Just promise me one thing. Don't hide any details...no matter how awkward."

The slight nod he gave was enough.

* * *

When the day arrived, Gale refused Katniss' repeated offers to drive him to the airport, insisting that he needed to stop at the office first and would just take a taxi from there. She surprised even herself with her ability to channel her emotions to a place that he wouldn't recognize them. After all, hiding her emotions was something she'd practiced all her life.

After an awkward kiss good-bye, Gale said "Have fun with Prim."

He looked at her with a furrowed brow and so much concern that Katniss almost asked him what was the matter. But, she had a feeling she already knew. In fact, they both knew. Then he took off for wherever the hell he was headed.

Katniss texted Peeta letting him know that Gale had departed. With everything going on, she felt the only way to take her mind off of things was to take a long hot bath with a bottle of wine. She felt dirty. Tainted. All of the snooping, prying, being lied to had exhausted her. Peeta was the only bright spot in all of this. If were not for the present circumstances, awful as they were, she would never have met him. She knew what she needed to do with her life. It was just going to take a little bit of time and a whole lot of patience. She was still working on that last part.

She allowed the soothing candles, lavender-scented water and the red wine to take the edge off of all the decisions and conflicting emotions she had to face. She relaxed in the tub until the water drew cold, let it out and then refilled the tub again.

_Fuck Gale._

_For that matter, fuck Madge._

Her tipsy mind found this to be quite funny.

_Hell, he probably is right now!_

Her loud laughter startled Victor who'd been seated by the tub watching her with a worried expression. Before she knew it, she was pouring herself that last bit of wine from the bottle.

_I refuse to become the bitter, privileged trophy wife who has everything she ever dreamed of...except happiness._

"I know, Victor. Let's see what the little princess is up to. Think she can stop fucking Gale long enough to answer a text from her dear old friend?"

She dried her hands, grabbed her phone and typed

_**Katniss: Hey, girl. Whatcha up to? Wanna go for a run with me tomorrow?** _

_**Madge: Hey! I thought you were going to visit Prim?** _

"How the fuck'd she know that, Victor?" Even she could hear her words slurring, but she didn't give a damn. She was entitled.

**_Katniss: She was bogged down with studies._ **

Madge took a long time to respond to that. Katniss finally got out of the tub to dry off and padded to the kitchen butt naked to get some water and clear her head. She pressed the cool glass to her forehead before downing two large tumblers full. Everything in her life suddenly felt as if it was wrapped tightly in cellophane. Plastic. Fake. She was tired. She wanted 'organic'. Truth, dirty or clean. Authenticity.

She had her phone turned up to the highest level so as not to miss a call or text from Peeta. She nearly slipped as she heard it ding and dashed back to the bathroom to retrieve it. Still a bit tipsy, she laughed uncontrollably at the thought of the paramedics showing up to find her nude body sprawled out on the tile, passed out. They'd call Gale as her next of kin to tell him that his wife was in an accident. He'd have to pull himself out of Madge's pussy long enough to answer the damn phone.

_If he cared enough to._

She knew her imagination was running away with her, thanks to the wine. But, dammit, she was entitled.

**_Madge: Headed out of town to see my cousin. Won't be back until Tuesday. Maybe after I get back we can hang out._ **

"Bitch. Didn't know she had a cousin here."

She thought long and hard before typing the next sentence. She erased her response several times before pressing send.

**_Katniss: See you later._ **

After a sandwich and a few glasses of water, her head began to clear. She checked her phone obsessively while she sat at her kitchen table, feeling not good for much else. When she'd had enough, she got up and ran towards her bedroom. Cecelia wouldn't mind watching Victor and...

She knew it wouldn't take her long to drive to the coast.

* * *

Peeta looked over at the condo next door and could see a Mercedes parked beneath the carport. It looked exactly like the one he'd seen Gale driving, but he had been doing this long enough to know that you don't assume anything. He'd have to see the guy before he could leap to his next set of assumptions.

Deciding he had some time to kill for now, he called to Sal so they could head down to the beach and take a look around. The sky overhead was beautiful. The wind was gently pushing waves around the shore. Eventhough it was still early in the year for laying out, there were a few beach combers walking lazily along, enjoying the fresh preseason air.

_Might as well take advantage of it._

He removed his shoes and rolled his jeans up to run Sal into the water. He tossed a tennis ball out towards the waves and watched as his eager friend ran out to retrieve it. The sun was just beginning to set, casting a dusky orange filter over everything. He reminded himself to paint this from memory once everything settled down. He wished he had someone to share the view with. Someone like the young woman he'd gotten to know under the worst possible circumstances. He shook thoughts of Katniss from his mind and brought himself back to the present.

_Stop living in fantasy land, Peet. She'll never be yours. She'll forgive him even if he is cheating. They always do._

He looked up to see Sal running back towards him with the soaking wet ball in his mouth and couldn't help but smile at his friend. He crouched down and clapped his hands in praise of him actually remembering to return the fetch, something he only did occasionally. But, instead of Sal stopping with the ball, he ran right past him. When Peeta stood to turn in the direction Sal was headed, he couldn't believe his eyes.

_Of all the dumb luck._

Sal ran right up to the dark-haired man, wagging his tail excitedly, and dropped the ball at his feet.

"Sal!" Peeta ran to grab him just before he leaped into Gale with his wet, sandy paws.

"Hey, buddy!" Gale reached out and ran a hand through the dog's wet hair and gave his head a good rub.

"Sorry, man. He gets really excited. And a little too friendly."

"No worries! He's cool. Sal, is it?"

"Yeah."

"Nice dog." For the first time, Peeta could see the man up close. He was no chick and not usually a judge of men, but he could see what women saw in Gale. His rugged good looks were softened by the good life, but he could tell the dude worked out and kept his appearance up. He was tall, with broad shoulders and arms that looked like they were made for snapping necks, not pushing pens across paper. His skin looked as if it caught a tan just walking to his car. He and Katniss could be cousins for all intents and purposes with their matching skin tones, dark hair and grey eyes. Peeta watched him as he communed with Sal, who was prone to 'over loving'.

_Any guy who entertains that hairy beast can't be all bad._

Gale laughed a hearty laugh as Sal planted his full tongue along the side of his face. Taking a cue, Peeta whistled to get Sal's attention and tossed the ball back in the water for him to retrieve.

Raising his hands in a show of apology, Peeta approached Gale, "Again. Sorry."

"Hey, it's fine." Gale looked Peeta in the eye and extended his hand. "You know, I think we're neighbors. I'm Gale."

"P...uh...Paul." He hoped Gale didn't notice the slip. But, he couldn't take the chance of Katniss letting his name slip in a fit of anger later on.

"Nice to meet you, Paul. You down here alone?"

"Yeah. Sal and I are just down for a short time. Visiting friends tomorrow. But I needed a little break from the grind. A beach sunset always puts my mind right." He amazed himself with how good he was getting at turning out lies and excuses.

"Tell me about it. Same here. I'm spending the next four days not even thinking about work."

Peeta decided to plunge a little deeper. "What about you? Vacationing solo?"

Gale faltered just slightly. A less observant person would've missed the fidget...him rubbing his forearm swiftly. But, Peeta Mellark paid attention. "Uh, no. My, uh, girlfriend is on her way here right now."

Peeta felt his heart drop to his toes as he looked down and saw no wedding ring. He thought he detected a slight hint of trepidation in Gale's tone. He really  _wanted_  to miss the way his eyelids flickered when he said the word 'girlfriend'. He wanted to  _not_  see the veiled look of shame descend on his features and the way he had to look out to the shoreline to break eye contact at the very moment he uttered it. Was it possible to want someone to be lying and telling the truth all at the same time?

_How dare he do this to Katniss?_

He swallowed hard before hiding his face under the pretense of turning and looking for Sal. He felt his fist clench at his side so hard his nails dented his palm. He schooled his face before turning back to Gale.

"Well, Sal and I are gonna head back. Nice to meet you, Gale. Enjoy your stay." He really tried to remain objective. To not jump to conclusions. To not be judgmental. But, he found he was failing miserably. All he could think of was Katniss and what this would do to her. He plastered a fake smile to his lips, one that a stranger would surely not detect, and nodded to Gale.

"You too, Paul." Gale nodded and moved towards the shore. "And Sal."

* * *

Peeta reluctantly set up his camera equipment.

"Looks like it's going to be a long night, bud." He looked over at Sal, who was wiped out on the back sunporch. He knew he needed to call or text Katniss, but the coward in him kept procrastinating.

_I'll call her after dinner._

He went into the kitchen, hoping that Finnick, remembering how much he hated eating out, had thought to have the fridge stocked.

_No such luck. Thanks, Finn, you bastard. And I can't leave to go get food or groceries just in case something happens._

He grabbed his phone and pulled up  **Urban Spoon**  to see if there were any delivery places nearby. A four-star rated Vietnamese restaurant popped up. He ordered some Veggie Pho, Goi Cuon Shrimp Rolls and chicken with cracked rice. _  
_

"Twenty minutes, Mr. Mellark." Peeta hung up the phone and noticed the bottle of red wine on the counter.

"Perfect." He fished through the utensil drawer for a corkscrew until he found one. He looked over at Sal again.

"Well, buddy. Now, we wait."

Within the allotted time, his food had arrived. He tipped the driver and returned to the kitchen to serve himself. Sal started twirling excitedly around his legs.

"I'm sorry, boy. You're hungry, too." Peeta dug through the bag he'd packed with dogfood and Sal's bowls. Once he took care of giving him food and water, he was surprised to see that Sal was still restless. He kept running to the large window in the sunroom and whimpering. Peeta finally decided to see what was bothering him so.

Parked out back was a dark colored vehicle he didn't recognize. But, the unfamiliarity stopped there. Hovering just above the dashboard, as if it were trying to be inconspicuous, was the worst Justin Bieber lookalike he'd seen since the night Cinna hooked Katniss up.

"What the  _fuck_! Katniss?" he whispered to himself.

He quickly glanced over at Gale's rental and saw no signs of him milling about. He hadn't been watching the place butwas desperately hoping the man was either in another part of the condo or still down at the beach.

He approached the vehicle from the driver-side window, which was open. He tried to creep up on her in hopes of quietly preventing her from doing whatever it was she'd planned to do. He crouched low and took special care to stay out of the mirror's line of sight. Before he reached the open window, she turned around in the driver's seat, "I see you, Peeta."

"Katniss, what the hell are you doing here?"

He opened the door swiftly and grabbed her arm, pulling her towards the condo. She wrestled her arm from him and lifted her hands in a show of cooperation and followed him in without a bit of protest.

* * *

"For a private investigator, your tracking skills are horrid."

"And for a hunter, your camouflaging sucks! What were you thinking? I thought we agreed that you wouldn't come here."

"Well, we also agreed that you would call me to tell me what the hell is going on!'

Peeta shamed at this, raking his hands through his hair. "I-I was going to call you after I had some dinner. How did you even know where to come?"

"I  _am_  his wife, Peeta. All it took was one call to that chatty travel agent."

Glimmer. He nodded in realization as his heart clenched.

_She is his wife._

"I got tired of waiting. So, I tricked her into believing that I was supposed to be meeting him and had forgotten the address." Katniss snatched the grotesque looking wig off her head and tossed it on the kitchen table. Peeta paced the room in frustration wondering what the hell to do now. Katniss' eyes followed him warily from one side of the room to the other. The indignant side of her, the one that said ' _How dare he be pissed at me?'_ , took a momentary backseat to the side that knew he brought his best intentions to his job. Yet, as there was no other outlet for her pain and anger, she launched it at him.

"I'm not just playing spy, Peeta. This is just your job...some secret  _mission_  for you. But, to me this is my  _life_  I'm talking about." She pounded her open palm on her chest for emphasis.

"That's where you're wrong. It means more to me than that."

_So much more. And therein lies the problem._

"Katniss, I've already crossed the line by letting you get involved...by becoming your friend. I have to make sure I do this the right way or..."

_You'll hate me forever._

"...or I'll never forgive myself if I screw it up."

They stared at each other in silence as Peeta tried to figure out how to fix this situation. He was in a pickle, he knew it. But outside of making her drive back, and he was not about to  _make_  Katniss Hawthorne do anything, he would just have to make the best of it.

"You'll have to stay out of sight."

"I'm sorry. I should've called you first, but I felt useless just sitting there."

"I'm not finished." He walked over to Katniss, taking her hand into his own.

"Look, Katniss. I don't know what's going to happen tonight," he lied. "Things could get messy. If Gale is..."

"Peeta," she interrupted. "I pretty much know what could go down tonight. I  _know_  that Gale is not in Sacramento. I  _know_  that Madge says she's going out of town this weekend to visit some cousin I didn't even know she had. And I  _know_  that's his car parked next door. All I don't know at this point is if those facts have anything to do with each other." She tugged at her hand away and fiddled with a ragged thumbnail; the manicured tips that Gale insisted she wear to deter her nail-biting had been gone for a couple of weeks.

"I'm a big girl. I can handle it." The steely gaze she fixed him with left him with no doubt that Katniss Hawthorne could, indeed, handle just about anything.

"You have to promise me that you won't cause a scene. Because if you do, Jo will find out and she'll be pissed as hell with me and our business will become a  _joke_. I know it sounds selfish, but she's worked too hard to build this business and I can't stand the idea that I may fuck it up because I'm..." He dropped her hand and walked over to the large window overlooking the beach, afraid that he'd come too close to saying words he had no business saying. Katniss attempted to follow him but he waved her back from the window, "Either stay out of sight or put that wig back on."

Katniss grimaced and moved back towards the kitchen. How had her life become such a fucking mess?

"This isn't some episode of  **Cheaters** , Katniss." Peeta's irritation was subsiding quickly and was being replaced with a more cautionary tone.

"Don't you think I know that?"

"I know. I'm sorry. I just wish..." He inhaled a deep breath before continuing. "Hey, are you hungry? I ordered some dinner."

* * *

They talked and shared his takeout dinner over glasses of the red wine Peeta had found in the kitchen earlier. Katniss kept to one glass, considering she'd downed an entire bottle already and was still recovering from it.

Peeta went out to her car to retrieve the overnight bag she'd packed. Gale did not make any more appearances as the evening wore on and the sun went down. For this, Peeta was thankful. He still wasn't quite trusting in what Katniss' reaction would be if she saw him, knowing that he'd lied to her.

Peeta convinced her to take a shower and perhaps get some sleep while he stayed up to do his job. She really did try to think of other things, but the thought of one's husband being next door possibly fucking one's friend was enough to keep anyone awake. She tossed and turned over the odd events that culminated in her spending the night at a seaside condo while the sexiest, sweetest guy she knew spied on her lying husband in the next room.

_Wait a minute._

Before she knew it, her thoughts drifted more to Peeta and the kind of man he was. The kind of man she wished Gale could be. The kind of man Gale wasn't. Considerate. Kind. Thoughtful. Selfless. Compassionate.

When she heard a car door slam, she realized that she'd drifted off at some point. The wine. The drive. The stress. All took a toll on her. The closing of the car door stood out against the quiet backdrop of the waves crashing into the shore and the distant sounds of light gaiety coming up from the beach.

_A car door. Someone arriving. A car door._

It took a while for the thought to take hold.

* * *

Peeta sat quietly in the dark, listening to Sal's deep breathing on the other side of the room. He was thankful that he'd worn him out down at the beach earlier. He leaned his head back into the sofa and shut his eyes for a brief moment to give them a break from all of the watching. And that's when he heard it.

_A car door._

He rushed over to his camera, which was mounted beneath the large window and pointed between the sheer curtains facing the other unit. The problem with this place was definitely all the windows and sheer window treatments. Peeta had to keep the lights off to prevent anyone from figuring out what he was doing. Gale, perhaps lulled into a sense of security in this undisclosed location, held no such caution about the goings on in his unit. It was brightly lit with the same sheer curtains in the downstairs as Peeta's unit.

He pressed his eye to the lens to ensure a good angle and focus as he watched the blonde linger next to the driver side door, oddly. She stood there for a couple of seconds before reaching into the open window of the back seat for what looked like a duffle bag; one which she hastily threw back in, retrieved again and then threw back in once again.

_Now, that's odd._

She walked hurriedly up to the door of the bungalow that was Gale's. He opened the door before she could even register a knock. They hesitated for a moment in the doorway before he pulled her in and began to kiss her passionately. He seemed to be doing all the leading at first, but it didn't take long before they were a jumble of limbs as he pressed her against the back of the door. He could see Gale's hands reach out to pull her hips forward to meet his. The blonde sunk her hands into his hair and pulled his face down to hers. The rest was a blur of arms and heaving chests and heads joined at the mouth.

Peeta felt sick.

Still, he kept his lens trained. He didn't miss a beat of what happened next as the woman appeared to reluctantly take her hands and push on Gale's chest, moving him slightly away from her. Peeta saw him attempt to pull her into an embrace a couple of times before finally giving up. The woman, whom he could only assume to be Madge, planted her face in her hands and shook her head from side to side. Gale walked off a few paces, raking his hair back in frustration before returning to try and hug her again. It was then that things seemed to erupt into an argument.

Gale gestured between the two of them, his mouth moving, as she folded her arms over her chest defiantly. This shadow dance went on for several minutes with each of them taking turns, apparently yelling, before Gale finally turned his back to her sullenly. Madge moved hesitantly to hug him from behind before turning towards the door and leaving. Peeta was stunned for a couple seconds before he decided he was thankful that Katniss hadn't been awake to see any of that.

But, the sudden gasp from behind sent a sickening jolt through him. He'd apparently been so enrapt with what was going on that he hadn't heard her tread softly into the room. He turned to see Katniss, eyes puffy with sleep, hair disheveled and her hand over her mouth. The finality of Madge's car door slamming a second time made Katniss startle as if she wasn't standing there watching it all unfold.

"Madge?"

Peeta forgot about the scene next door. He forgot about the job he had to do. All that mattered was the woman in front of him who was obviously in so much pain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's the moral of this chapter? No matter how you feel about someone, getting cheated on sucks!
> 
> Please, please let me know what you think. I really struggled with this chapter. To cheat or not not to cheat? Is Gale a prick or a tortured guy? Is Madge a total bitch or does she have somewhat of a conscience?
> 
> Tune in next time. Things take a definite turn.


	13. Chapter 13:  The Cheater

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been a really long time since I updated. Thanks to all who've followed this story to this point. There are a couple more chapters, but I'm not sure how many. I will let the muses decide.

Peeta caught her by the wrist just as she lunged for the door knob. "Katniss! Don't."

She stared at him with a pained and vacant expression. He'd seen that look before on people's faces. The one that said, I can't believe this is happening to me.

"Please..." She attempted to wrench her arm from his grasp, but wasn't strong enough.

"...don't to this to yourself." It was getting increasingly difficult to hold her without tightening his grip, and he didn't want to hurt her. The only thing he could do was to pull her closer and hold her around her waist until he could talk some sense into her. Sal was getting worried and antsy, pacing back and forth and whimpering. He turned his head to reassure him that all was fine, but Katniss' writhing about caused them to tumble to the floor between the door and the window.

"What the hell are you doing, Peeta?"

That's when they heard the tires squeal and crunch their way down the driveway next door. Katniss startled and leapt for the door again.

"Katniss, stop!"

Peeta scrambled to his feet to survey the condo next door and noticed the place was dark. Perhaps Gale had stormed upstairs once he realized he wasn't going to get to fuck his mistress tonight. Thank, God! he thought. His chest heaved from the nervousness and from trying to hold onto Katniss, who was surprisingly strong for such a petite girl. He turned around to find her seated on the floor behind the sofa, head between her knees and sobbing. He went with his natural instincts, eschewing professionalism, and knelt before her stroking her back.

"Katniss, I don't know what to say. I-I'm so sorry this happeneid like this...so sorry it turned out like this. I was really hoping that it would have a different ending...at least for you." He was surprised to realize that he actually meant it.

"Thanks to you, I missed her!"

Not the response he expected. He most definitely expected her to try and storm next door to rip Gale a new asshole. Though he was thankful she didn't, he was still confounded at her reaction.

"You mean Madge? Why on earth would you want to talk to her right now?" He knelt before her to peer into her face and raised her chin to make her meet his gaze. The wet tears on her chin spread across his fingers, but all he could focus on was the tingle of warmth where her skin touched his...and the sad look in her eyes.

"You wouldn't understand." She angled her eyes towards some obscure corner of the room instead of looking at him directly. A strangled and tired sigh left her throat.

"Well, I can certainly try. If you trust me enough." He didn't notice that he'd started softly stroking the side of her chin with his thumb. But, Katniss did. The ache that had slowly settled on her chest over the last few weeks was being quickly diminished by one touch from a certain someone. But, of course, this is his job; to comfort the jilted.

"Look, Katniss. Most people leave our office feeling worthless after seeing something like this on film, let alone in person. I never should've let you come here. That was a big mistake."

"Peeta, you forget that I came here against your better judgment. You tried to warn me. I'm just no good at listening."

He nodded sadly and settled back on his haunches. "I still feel responsible."

Katniss rose up on her knees and, before he could react, had thrown her arms tightly around his neck. "No. I'm grateful to you." One heavy sob ripped through her, rocking her body, before she gained control of the next one. She pulled back, a little taken aback by her own impulsive show of emotion and affection. This was not something she was prone to. "You were always honest with me. You never judged or drew any conclusion without checking first." She furrowed her brow and sucked on her bottom lip in a way that made him want to sweep the shadows away from her face with his touch.

"At the end of the day, you showed me what I already knew. And I'm grateful." A fresh stream of tears began to descend down her cheeks and ended at her chin. He gently, but hesitantly reached out to swipe them away.

"Please don't ever feel that you're anything less than magnificent. You need to tell yourself that every single day. No matter what happens after tonight."

Her eyes flitted to his and stayed there for a few seconds longer than was appropriate, under the circumstances. The expressions on their faces said that they both registered the awkward position they were in at the exact same moment. Katniss was on her knees, poised between Peeta's thighs with her hands resting on his forearms. He sat back on his shins with his hands hanging loosely in front of him, shoulders slumped. He reached one hand up to wipe more tears away from her chin with his thumb. When he tried to remove it, Katniss grabbed his hand and pressed it to her cheek. She inhaled deeply, being driven by the strangest impulse to smell him.

This. Is. Awkward.

The awkwardness of being here with him like this paled in comparison to the warmth she felt radiating from those crystal blue eyes. He pleaded with himself to not let this go too far. But, it was too late.

She was already leaning in.

His free hand captured the other side of her face as his tongue darted out to wet his dry lips. He lost track of whether she was leaning into him or if he was pulling her forward.

Her lips. Her eyes. They were like magnets, drawing him in against his will. Every warning bell in his brain screamed at him to stop, but the soft pressure of her lips on his pulled a sigh from his mouth that he couldn't take back.

Mint.

That's what she tasted like. Not the tooth-pasty kind. But, the fresh mint his granddad used to grow in his garden. He'd chew it just for kicks when he was a kid. Her lips were soft pillows with just the slightest hint of firmness behind them. He angled his head away from hers to end this game before they went any deeper; but she followed him, leaning in more and tilting her head to capture his lower lip between hers.

"Katn-." The second he opened his mouth to utter a warning, she captured his tongue and held him in place with her hands at the nape of his neck.

I've taken down guys more than twice her size. I can stop this if I want to. But, do I?

Her taste began to waft through his senses as he allowed her to pull his tongue into her mouth and caress it gently with her own. He sucked on her top lip as his hands glided down her back, pulling her forward. Closer.

He tilted his head slightly. Opened his mouth a tad bit more. Craned his neck just a fraction more. She made up for the rest. It was enough to deepen the kiss further. Enough to qualify as forbidden. Too deep to be considered an accident. Too wrought with passion to be considered friendly. The thrashing of tongues pushed past the point of this being a consoling kiss between friends.

They were in a full-blown, neck-bobbing, hand-gripping wet kiss at this point as all the memories of the fantasies he'd had about her popped into his head. He knew on a thinking level that this was wrong. So wrong! All wrong! But, there wasn't much thinking going on. Damn those tiny little sleep shorts and flimsy tank of hers! There was no where on her body he could touch without inciting a riot in his pants.

He tasted her as they switched control, pulling her tongue into his mouth and rolling it around with his own. The little moan that she released made his insides rumble. He probed the inside of her mouth, commiting its softness to memory. He sucked on her bottom lip and swiped his tongue across it, breathing in her essence. It wasn't until he felt her shift to straddle his lap that he regained enough of his senses to pull himself away. He reached behind his neck to grab hold of her hands and moved them gently to her sides. They popped apart from their heated connection and leaned their foreheads together, panting regretfully. Peeta was the first to break the silence.

"As much as I want to...I-I can't."

He'd fantasized about being with her a thousand times over in the last few weeks. He'd touched himself thinking of her underneath him with her eyes hooded, screaming his name. There was nothing wrong with having private fantasies, he'd told himself. But, he was not about to sleep with another man's wife. No matter the circumstances. And he didn't need a consolation fuck to add to the shit-hole his love-life was in already.

Wouldn't that be the case? At least for her? Revenge sex?

Sleeping with him was not going to make her feel any better about her situation. He just had to be strong enough to show her that this was not the answer.

"Peeta, I know what you're thinking and it's..." Her eyes searched his face, trying to convey some understanding of her intentions just now. Her hands shook as she tried to conjure up an explanation.

"No, Katniss. You're hurting right now and I won't take advantage of you like this." But, damn did he want her!  
She looked offended. "What the hell did you think was going to happen?"  
"Katniss, please..."  
"No, screw you!" She was up off the floor in an instant. "How dare you?" She was screaming at him in a wavering voice.

"You're angry right now. Katniss," he grabbed her wrist to try and make her listen. She snatched her arm away and bolted for her bedroom. By the time he reached her door, thanks to the bulge in his jeans and the stiff knee from his football days, she was already tossing things into the overnight bag she'd brought along. He closed the bedroom door and stood in front of it.

"Please hear me out. Let me explain w-what I meant."  
"Fuck you, Peeta Mellark." The death stare she shot his way dampened when she saw the hurt register on his face. He relaxed his stance and ran his hand nervously behind his head.  
"Just five minutes ago I was worthy of a hug. Now I'm Fuck-You-Peeta-Mellark? Come on, Katniss. Why complicate what's happening now by us sleeping together?"  
"Is that what you think I want?"  
"I-I wasn't sure. I mean things were headed somewhere they didn't need to be. For chrissakes, you're married!"  
"To a man that just tried to fuck my friend!" She threw the bag over her shoulder and stood before him with her arms over her chest. "Either move or I'm climbing out the damn window."

He knew she was tough, but he thought maybe…just maybe…he was tougher. He tightened his stance and refused to budge. He didn't know how far he'd go to keep her there, but he had not reached his limit just yet.

"I'm not letting you leave in this state. You're upset. You don't need to be alone. It's a long drive back. It's not safe."  
"I don't need a fucking counselor. Now, move, Peeta!"  
"No. Not moving. Deal with it."  
She could see that he was going to stand his ground on this so she turned towards the window, calling his bluff. He darted around her to block her.  
"Katniss, look. You're still wearing your pj's."

She looked down at her clothes and collapsed on the floor in a fit of what looked like giggles and hysterics all at the same time. After a few minutes of him watching her pityingly, her breathing evened out and she swiped both hands down the length of her face.

"Oh, Peeta. My life is sooo fucked up right now."

She looked exhausted. He wanted to make things better for her, just because. But, his power to do that extended only so far. She was another man's wife, after all. Gale's. Whom, he was surprised, she had not mentioned more in light of what just happened.

"Gale stopped having sex with me weeks ago." So much for that. "We used to be best friends when we were kids. Shit shifted when we got married. Now, he's cheating with Madge, the only other friend I have. Had."

She looked up at Peeta from her place on the floor and toyed with a piece of hair that hung from the band at the end of her braid. The very braid that Gale used to tease her about was the same one he'd grown to criticize constantly since they married, telling her it was juvenile and just plain lazy.

'Go to the salon, Catnip. Get some highlights or something.'

Another wave of epiphany washed over her. She'd been drowning in the damn things lately.

"None of that is true. Gale's an asshole for what he's doing. And Madge is certainly not your friend, as far as I'm concerned."

"I've lost a husband and a friend in one big toss, Peeta."

"I'm still your friend, Katniss."

"The only real friend I have left is Prim."

"Ouch." He leaned his weight on his good leg and rested his hands on his hips.

"And soon she'll graduate and start her life. She won't need me. I have a degree I've never used. I don't have a fucking job. Even my car and the house are in Gale's name."

"You know what? You're right."

"What about?"

"You don't listen. You don't pay attention."

Katniss blinked, looking up at him in confusion. "It's not the first time I've been told that."

"Do you really think what happened here tonight would change anything for me?" He wanted desperately to tell her that 'If you weren't married to Gale, the last thing I'd want to be is your friend.'

But, he couldn't. He realized that a friend was exactly what she needed right now. He'd done his job as a P.I. He joined her on the floor and leaned his back against the bed. "It's not everyday that this happens to people. Everyone reacts in different ways."

"You mean they don't all try to stick their tongues down your throat?"

"Yeah, that's what I mean." She laughed for the first time that day. It was a sound he wished he could elicit over and over again, if he had the chance. "Some cry. Some get angry. Some jump for joy...no kidding. Some even recommit themselves to their marriages and go on second honeymoons." Peeta never understood that last one. He'd seen it time and time again. But, he never judged. He did wonder how Katniss was going to go forward with this new information. "Some realize that finding out is the easy part."  
He reached down to gather her small hand in his.

"Seriously, as your friend. I'm really sorry this happened. I think you deserve a hell of a lot better. Please talk to me if you need to, Katniss. I've never been married, but I have been cheated on. It sucks. And it hurts. In more ways than one." She'd almost forgotten about Peeta and Del. Why anyone would leave someone as sweet and kind as Peeta was beyond her understanding. She nodded okay and offered a shy smile that warmed his insides.

"But, as your investigator, I have to ask. Do you have the answers you want or should we continue?" They stared at each other as reality dawned on them. They would no longer have this horrible circumstance to bring them together. She wouldn't have valid excuses to see Peeta anymore. What would happen when their friendship moved from professional to personal? Katniss had gotten the answer to her question; in more ways than she could ever convey to him without sounding weird. Peeta had done his job. He thought he saw a hint of something in her face...something that he couldn't place.

"I have all I need." She said it so softly, he almost missed it. But, the self-assured jutting of her chin told him that she was confident in her answer. Peeta nodded and moved to get up from the floor, but Katniss remained seated and looked up at him from below like a lost little girl who needed help finding her way.

"Then, as your friend, I'm going to suggest that you get a good night's rest. If you'll allow it, I'll treat you to breakfast tomorrow before you head back."  
She grabbed his hand gently and said, "I'll allow it. And...thank you. For everything."

"It's what friends do. We look out for each other. You've had a rough couple of months." With a sigh and a yawn, Peeta announced, "I'm going to go shower and hit the sheets. We can sort this all out tomorrow."  
"Peeta?" She hadn't released his hand. "I...I don't want to be alone."  
"O-Okay. Well. Ah. How about if I come chat for a bit after my shower?"  
"That would be nice. And...I'm really sorry about what I did before. It won't happen again. I promise." Peeta wasn't sure why he felt a niggling sense of disappointment at this. No kissing or...touching...or anything. She looked at him sheepishly, unsure if she was asking too much considering her actions earlier. "Just until I get sleepy. I just don't want to be alone. Besides, I'll need someone to make sure I don't get the sudden urge to go murder Gale in his sleep. Th-That is, if you can forgive me for some of the things I said and did earlier."

The list of things he could forgive her for were long and many. She had only scratched the surface.  
"Always."

He assured her he'd be back after his shower, one he sorely needed. As soon as he was behind the confines of his bedroom walls, he collapsed on the bed in a heap. It had taken every ounce of mental and emotional strength to not rip her clothes off, wrap her legs around his waist and show her how stupid Gale Hawthorne was. Gale had handed him a goft without even knowing it. But, it was one he was not willing to unwrap. It wasn't his.

He knew he could never take advantage of something like this no matter how badly he wanted a chance with Katniss. He replayed Finnick's story of how he and Annie had gotten together. No, if he wanted her, he'd have to wait until this thing with Gale ran its course. If it ever did. In his experience, most couples reconciled after something like this. If Katniss decided to continue in her marriage, he couldn't stand the thought of having her for only night just to release her to Gale's arms afterwards. And if she decided to end it, he didn't want to be a contributor to the collapse of a marriage, no matter how good or bad it may be. He didn't want to be the mistake she would eventually come to regret. He didn't want anything left to question, when and if the opportunity ever presented itself. He was embarrassed that Katniss had almost discovered just how much she turned him on. Yet, he desperately longed for her to know just that. The line between what he wanted and what was right was looking thinner and greyer all the time.

The feel of her lips on his had added a new dimension to the fantasy he'd spent months building up in his mind. Though he never imagined things would go this way, he didn't begrudge himself one bit the experience of kissing her for real. His jeans had just begun to tighten with his arousal, snapping him back to the present, when he decided to back away from the kiss. He rose and began undoing the buttons on his shirt, while at the same time swatting away images of Katniss undoing them for him. He couldn't expect to sit next to her and talk to her if he allowed his mind to go to that place. Before she kissed him, his fantasies seemed harmless. Now, everything was different. He walked into the bathroom and started the shower on the coolest setting he thought he could stand. He gritted his teeth as he walked under the icy stream and began to soap up. The more he tried to avoid thinking of Katniss, the stiffer he became.

"Shit!" He shook the water droplets from his hair, hoping to shake some sense into his brain.

No. Such. Luck.

He angled himself directly underneath the stream in hopes of dousing the fire that she'd started less than an hour ago. The pulsating stream of water seemed to have the opposite affect as he recalled involuntarily the the feel of her soft lips on his. The insides of her mouth, so soft, wet and sweet. Would her lips feel that good on his other parts?

He tried to convince himself that he was just washing this most sensitive part of his body. Bathing. But, that quickly turned into something much more sensual as he rubbed the soap along his length and closed his eyes tightly, gripping the towel bar with his free hand.

"Fuck it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is already written and will be posted in the next couple days. Thank you for sticking with my little plot bunny.


	14. Chapter 14:  The Cheated

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas holiday! I certainly did. I wanted to post this as a Christmas gift, but got so tied up with holiday preps. Anyhoo! At long last...thanks for reading! Part 2 starts soon. I'm not sure how many chapters it will be. I'm letting the story decide that. But I feel compelled to break the story into parts. Let me know what you think.

Peeta moved his hand over his cock using the soap to glide against his palm. His movement built in intensity as the familiar tightness formed in his belly. His breathing became labored as he allowed the feeling to flow over him. He knew he needed something to take the edge off. He told himself that it was the proper thing to do. For her sake.

Try as he did to conjure up images of other women, they always ended up looking like her. He finally gave in and just went with it. He let himself imagine her soft mouth around his head, descending upon him and tightening her cheeks to make him come. He envisioned her molten grey eyes glancing up at him as she sucked him to completion, her raven hair shiny and glassy from the steam and wetness of the shower. His insides flipped as his hips jerked forward and he shot his seed against the tiled wall.

Peeta steadied himself from the dizziness with the towel bar and allowed the mixed emotions of relief and shame to wash over him. When he and Del broke up more than eight months ago, Jo had convinced him that drowning his sorrows in " _...some new pussy..._ " would be just what the doctor ordered. He'd followed her advice...and had regretted it ever since. Jerking off in the shower while fantasizing about a married woman wasn't his proudest moment, but it beat the casual sex he'd had with Clove and then Glimmer by miles. While Clove had been completely emotionally unavailable, Glimmer had stalked him like her prey. He'd entertained his friends ' _setting him up_ ' with acquaintances that they were sure would be ' _the one_ '. But, each encounter had left him feeling an increasingly larger gap between the woman he envisioned and the ones he was being presented with. Was it too much to ask for a woman to have resilience and softness? Intelligence with a refreshing level of naivatee was a complete turn-on in his eyes. An organic femininity, not one built on a foundation of cosmetics and expensive baubles was what he sought. He eventually declared himself on hiatus when it concerned matters of dating.

" _Fuck me_ ," he thought. Of course the first woman he met with those characteristics happened to be married. It was his luck.

* * *

Peeta dressed for bed and walked down the hall to Katniss' room. He asked for entry with a soft knock to the door frame, in spite of it being wide open. Katniss was sitting on top of the covers with a light blanket tossed over her knees which were drawn up towards her chest. Her back was to the headboard as her chin rested forward on her arms. She seemed to be in such deep thought that she didn't notice him standing in the doorway. Peeta was reluctant to interrupt whatever she was meditating on, but cleared his throat to get her attention. She looked up with a shy smile.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked from the doorway.

"Yes. But, if you're uncomfortable, I understand." Katniss fiddled with the corner of the blanket nervously.

"No, no. I'm fine."

She had taken special care to ensure she wasn't wearing anything that could be considered even remotely sexy. The last thing she wanted to do was to manipulate Peeta and make him feel sorry for her. Or entice him into having pity sex with her. She had changed out of her usual thin sleep set into the baggy t-shirt and loose-fitting sweat pants that she'd brought along as a potential disguise.

"Come sit down." She patted the spot next to her on the bed and noticed the deep red blush rising from his neck up was the cutest most ridiculous thing she'd ever seen. It suddenly made her feel a little better about throwing herself at him earlier. It was nice to know that she made him as nervous as he made her silly. She giggled silently in spite of the shitty evening she had been having so far.

She shifted over further to the right edge of the bed as he positioned himself on top of the comforter on the left side of the bed. They sat there, stiffly at first, staring at the ceiling and unsure what to do or how to be with each other. Finally, Peeta turned toward her to face her, careful to keep one foot on the floor.

"You were deep in thought when I came in." Katniss inclined her head to look at him. His blue eyes were filled with concern and compassion, making her reqret being such an emotional burden on him at the moment.  _Oh, well. I guess it comes with the territory._

"Yeah. Lots to think about."

"Wanna talk about it?"

"Not much to talk about...except...I fuck up pretty much every relationship besides the ones with people I'm related to. They don't have any choice but to put up with me."

"Katniss, why do you say such things about yourself?" He shifted his body around to face her more fully.

"Because...it's true. I was never any good at having friends when I was younger. Never really had girlfriends except for..." She trailed off and stiffened her back against the headboard. "I mean look at us. I met you through the weirdest of circumstances, but we connected. And now I'm even fucking that up."

"You're not..."

"We were beginning to be friends. And I screwed it up by throwing myself at you."

"People do stupid things when they're hurt."

"So, you think I'm stupid?"

"Nooooo. Smart people do irrational things when they're hurt. Better?"

"Not really."

She turned her head to stare up at the ceiling. "Actually, I-I can see how Gale is attracted to Madge. They fit."

Peeta's eyebrows shot swiftly his hairline and was beginning to rise in protest.

"No, just hear me out." Katniss tightened her grip on her knees to steady her nerves. "Gale and me, sometimes we clash. In a big way. I mean we're both hot-headed but he's definitely more stubborn. I've become accustomed to giving in to keep the peace, but that's not very healthy, is it?" She wouldn't look at Peeta, but waited anxiously to hear his response.

"No. It's not. But, we're told all the time that we have to make compromises in relationships. The trick is knowing how much is too much." He wished he didn't sound so much like a fucking counselor all the time.

"I don't know what's going to happen when I get back. I just know that our relationship has to change."

Peeta wasn't quite sure what that meant and didn't allow himself to read too much into it.

 _They're not dating, Mellark. They're married! It's complicated_.

"Madge is soft…and, and girly. She loves to throw dinner parties and shop and shit. She has a crafting room, for Godsakes! I like digging in the dirt and planting things. I'm my best after a long, hot, sweaty jog."

Peeta searched for the right words to say. The words that wouldn't have them devouring each other's mouths again. "He's lucky to have you, Katniss." That's the best he could do under the circumstances.

_What else am I supposed to say? He's an ass-wipe who doesn't deserve you. He doesn't respect you as an individual. Your'e sexy as hell and he's a damn fool. Madge is just another cookie-cutter representation of every L.A. trophy wife walking down Rodeo Drive. You're hot, fierce, brave, and selfless and I'd battle wild mutts to be with you._

"Katniss, I think…you still have no idea. The effect you can have," is what came out instead.

She looked at him with a sad appreciation at the words that were meant to cheer her up. But, all she wanted to do was to put the day behind her and get some rest. Sleep would be hard to come by, considering. She shifted her body down into a reclining position as she felt a yawn coming on and turned to face him.

"You know, to say you're my friend, I know surprisingly little about you."

Peeta allowed himself to get a little more relaxed by placing both feet upon the bed. "You know plenty about me. I'm pretty boring. Not much to tell."

"I wanna play a game…if you're up to it. It'll help take my mind off things and maybe help me relax and get tired."

"Okay, madame. What's your game?"

"It's called  _Tell Me Ten_. I get to ask 10 questions, which you answer. And you get to ask me the same ones. We just keep inventing questions until we're tired of it. And for every additional one you ask, you must answer it. So don't ask me anything that you're not willing to share."

"Okay. Deal. But, you go first since this is your idea."

"Alright. Here goes." Katniss sat up excitedly and folded her legs pretzel-style in front of her.

"What's the strangest job you've ever had?"

"Uh, besides this one? I was a baker throughout high school and college. But, you know about that."

"Yes, the cheese buns were amazing. Okay. What would you be in your dream job?"

"I'm a frustrated artist. So, I'd love to do that full time. But, the pay sucks." Katniss nodded knowingly, remembering the beautiful sunset painting and the sensual photo of Del in his apartment.

"Do you have any weird sleeping habits?"

"Does comforting married women at beachside sleepovers count?" Her scowl made the chuckle die in his throat. "Okay. Just kidding. Ummm...I like to sleep with the windows open. Even in winter."

"That must have been interesting growing up in Everett, Washington."

"Yeah, but it got me a room to myself while my brothers had to share." Peeta tapped his index finger alongside his temple and winked at her playfully.

"Crafty, I see. Okay, now. What's your favorite drink?"

"Earl Grey Tea. With a little bit of milk. But, I never take sugar in it." Katniss grimaced and made a gagging sound, eliciting a warm chuckle from Peeta.

"Do you have any weird OCD habits?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact I do. I always double-knot my shoelaces. I had the hardest time learning to tie them as a kid and my mom always got irritated when she had to redo them, so I double-knotted to save her the trouble." Peeta's face clouded ever so slightly at the thought that there wasn't much he did as a kid that didn't irritate his mother.

"One thing you wish you could change about yourself physically?"

"It's surprising that I even became a P.I. because I'm known for having really loud footsteps. Not  _stealth_  at all. I'd like to be more...um...graceful. More…ninja." He waved his hands about in a comical version of a karate chop, making Katniss laugh once again at how he wasn't afraid to be goofy. He made note of how her face softened when she smiled and he longed to make her do that as often as possible.

"First kiss? When and who?"

He felt his blush deepen and cleared his throat out of nervousness.

"I had my first kiss at 12 while playing double-dare at a party. A girl named Cashmere. Del hated her. Her brother punched me."

Katniss smiled and shook her head. "Favorite color?"

"I love the color orange. Not bright orange. But soft. Like the sunset.

"What's your most surprising accomplishment?"

"I was on the wrestling team in high school and was first in our district one year. My brother had been first until I beat him my junior year. Asshole never got over it."

She debated within herself to keep the last question light and tame. She knew she'd have to answer the same question in return. But, considering what Peeta had witnessed in her life, it seemed silly to be afraid of being a little more serious. He had a way of softening the walls she'd spent years building around herself. It was a little scary, but she trusted him, this Peeta Mellark. Prim was the only other person who had this kind of effect on her.

"What's your biggest fear?"

He looked solemn for a moment before speaking, "To leave this earth not having been my  _most_   _authentic_  self."

"Wow." He just kept on surprising her.

"My mom had a way of not so gently guiding all of my decisions. Where to go to school. Whom to date. What to major in. I finally decided that I'd need to leave home and not take any support from my parents if I wanted to live my life  _my way_. That's how I ended up in L.A. Only, I realized I'd just traded my mom for Delly." He was leaned back on both his elbows with his strong legs stretched out before him now. He was clearly getting more comfortable, so Katniss rolled over onto her stomach and propped her chin up on one of her hands. "I think that's when I started to change a few things. Started doing things on my own agenda. And that's when things with Del started to change."

Peeta sat up quickly and crossed his legs lotus-style in front of him as he shook off the dreaded comparison between Delly and his mother. He peered mischievously down at Katniss and rubbed his hands together rapidly. "Okay, your turn. What kinds of things will I learn about you now?"

"You have to stick to the same questions, Peeta."

"Hello! I've been paying attention. This is going to be fun."

"Okay. Strangest job?"

"Summer camp archery instructor."  _Hot_ , he thought.

"What are you in your dream job?"

"I haven't figured that out yet, but it would definitely involve horticulture of some sort. I love being outdoors."  _Shit, even hotter_.

"Weird sleeping habits?"

A blush crept up the side of her neck before she could play it off by inventing something more innocent. Peeta's gaze tightened on her, "Spill it, Hawthorne."

She thanked God for the semi-darkness in the room. They were framed by soft lighting coming from her en suite bathroom and the moonlight coming through the window. "Nude," she nearly whispered.

"What?" Peeta craned his head to hear her better.

"I sleep in the nude, okay?"

Now, it was his turn to blush. He cleared his throat and forced himself to swallow dryly.  _What is she trying to do to me?_  "Okay…next question. Favorite drink?"

"Hot chocolate. I dip my toast in it. Even in the summer."

"Interesting. Weird OCD habits?"

"I'm constantly washing my sheets."

Peeta's eyebrows lifted playfully towards his hairline, "Oh?"

"I can't stand to sleep on them for more than two days."

He nodded in playful understanding. "Well, considering you sleep nude, that's probably a necessity."

She swatted his arm and tried to ignore the jolt of warmth that ran up from her hand to her cheeks. "Sorry. We said no touching."

Peeta just shrugged and replied, "S'okay."

"One thing you wish you could change about yourself physically?"

"My eyes. I'd like them to be a different color."

His mouth hung open in shock. "You're kidding, right?"

"No," she told him with an air of seriousness.

"Your eyes are one of the most beautiful things about you. They're unique. What color would you like them to be? Purple?"

Katniss smirked, "Is that an extra question?"

"Maybe."

"Then you'll have to answer an extra one."

"Fine by me. Now. What color?"

"Blue." She locked her eyes on his unashamedly as he blushed once again.

"First kiss?"

"I was 17."

"17?! Late bloomer?"

" Yes, 17! And no, just because you were a little man-whore doesn't mean I was late. I had other things on my mind besides boys and kissing. I had Prim to look after." Peeta looked at her face, so devoid of bitterness or regret for the very grownup responsibility she'd been handed at such a young age. She wore her devotion to Prim like a badge of honor. And this only made her more desirable.

"I was hardly a whore. Cashmere threw me in a closet and sucked my face off. Okay, answer the rest of the question. Who?"

"It was Gale and it was after a hunting trip in the woods." Katniss fiddled with the loose thread of the covers to avoid looking at Peeta.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"

"It's okay, Peeta. Next question."

"Favorite color?"

"Green. The natural, woodsy green. Like grass and leaves."

"Most surprising accomplishment?"

"I was All-City Skeet Shooting Champion in my age division for two straight years. Used to piss Gale off to no end."

"You're a very unique woman, Katniss Hawthorne."

"I'm nothing special."

"Yes. Yes you are. Gale's luck to have you. You two have a unique relationship. Not many husbands and wives can say they are  _actual_  friends."

"Isn't that what conventional wisdom tells us? To marry your best friend? I did that and look at what a success story I am."

"Do you love Gale, Katniss?"

"Yes," she said without hesitation. Peeta nodded in reluctant understanding. "As much as  _I_  can love anyone, I guess."

His brow crinkled slightly in confusion, "What does that mean?"

"I mean, what is love anyway? When does love surpass what I feel for Gale or Prim and become what my mom and dad felt for each other? I don't even know if what my parents had was  _normal_. I mean, being so consumed by another human being that you..." She trailed off, unable to finish her thought.

"Don't be so hard on yourself. I'm pretty sure I loved Delly. Hell, if she hadn't cheated, I could easily have seen us married by now."

"I thought you said you had started to question your relationship."

"I did. But, how often are we told that relationships aren't supposed to be perfect? That love ebbs and flows? That you work through your differences? Since when does ' _she annoys me_ ' qualify as a grounds for ending a relationship? I just kept ignoring that little nagging feeling, hoping it'd go away or I'd grow up or that she'd change. God knows my parents didn't give me much of an example to grow on. And they kept encouraging me to stick with it. Truth be told, we'd already started to fizzle out when she...you know...I was the one trying to keep things stable. I just didn't want to fail at one more damn thing in my parents' eyes."

He paused to gather his thoughts. "But, it wasn't' until after we broke up that I realized we were totally wrong for each other. We worked well as friends, I mean there was no one closer to me when we were younger. But, I learned the hard way that it didn't mean we needed to be in a relationship. At some point... _we_...just became easy. Convenient. We were both a little complacent. I even think her cheating was her own subconscious way to shake us out of it."

He looked over to find her eyes shimmering with empathy and concern. "Sorry. This is supposed to be  _your_  turn. Not mine."

"No, Peeta. It's okay. Friends help each other. That's what we're doing. Besides, I like listening to you and not feeling like I'm the only one with issues here." Her eyes scanned the features of his face: so soft and strong all at the same time. Those were definitely qualities that permeated everything about him. The way he filled out his t-shirt was decidedly masculine. The fact that it said " **Keep Calm and Meditate** " was distinctly Peeta. His muscles glided and pulsed beneath his smooth skin with every movement, every flinch. It was captivatingly sexy. He could have easily been an arrogant frat boy with his good looks and parents' money. But, he was a sensitive and artistic soul who donated to  _Children of Darfur_. He cared about the plight of others. He volunteered when he had time. He was a pleasing contradiction like a combination of chocolate and spicy ginger. An enigma that she couldn't figure out.

He gave her a half smile, "Okay, time for number 10. Your biggest fear?"

She'd prepared herself for this. Being totally honest was not an easy thing for her, but Peeta had made it look effortless. As if he bared his soul on a daily basis to everyone he encountered. It was only fair to show him that she trusted him enough to do the same.

"Loving someone so much that losing them would make my heart cease beating." Peeta was stunned into silence. He held his breath as she spoke. "I watched my mom disappear when my dad died. Then she took her own life. I didn't have time to grieve because I needed to take care of Prim. If I ever lost her, I'd…" a barely audible sob wafted from her lips. "Anyway…I never understood why she did it. That kind of love scares the shit out of me." Katniss waved away whatever she was about to say with a swipe of her hand, "I believe you owe me an extra question, Mr. Mellark." She plastered a smile on her face to keep from bringing herself further down than she already was.

"Okay, but can I just say one thing before that?"

"Fine." She could feel her cheeks begin to tremble the onset of tears she was determined to stop.  _Dammit, I should've kept my mouth shut. This is what you get when you over-share, Katniss._

"It wasn't love that made your mom take her own life. She obviously was suffering from some form of mental illness. She needed help. No one could have predicted that she'd do that, Katniss. Please remember that, okay?"

"Okay, but can we just...let's move on, okay?"

"Okay. I hope I didn't upset you."

"You didn't, Peeta. It's fine. I'm fine."

His fingers itched to reach out and console her. To wipe away every fear or worry she'd ever harbored. But, touching her would only lead to things that they didn't need to deal with. So, he refrained.

"Ask your question, then. But, be gentle okay?"

She took a deep breath and straightened her back out before looking at him tentatively. "Earlier, you said ' _As much as I want to, I can't_ '. What did you mean? As much as you want to  _what_?"

"I think you know what I meant." Katniss locked eyes with him, but her shyness soon took over and she avoided his gaze again. She knew what he meant. She just wanted to hear it.

Peeta touched her on the shoulder to get her attention again, "Can I tell you a secret?"

She nodded.

"I have liked you since the moment you walked into the agency. There was something about the way you walked in: shy but so sure of yourself all at the same time. But, I'm a professional. So, I tucked that part away. Just for the record, though, I think you're beautiful, fierce, selfless, intelligent and much stronger than you give yourself credit for."

"So, it didn't totally repulse you when I kissed you?"

"Noooo...I stopped us when I did because...I was afraid I might  _not_  if things went any further. As much as I wanted to kiss you, a-and other things, I couldn't do that to you. I care too much about you to burden you with a bad memory like that."

"What makes you think it'd be a bad memory?"

"Katniss, don't."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't do this to me." He moved to sit up and swing his legs over the side of the bed. Katniss reached a hand out and touched his thigh before she realized what she was doing. She quickly drew it back and ignored the awkwardness between them. Peeta moved his body back onto the bed. He was secretly grateful that she'd stopped him and spared him the embarrassment of changing his mind about leaving.

"Please. Don't leave." He relaxed his body once again and leaned against the headboard.

"I'm sorry. I really am. For what I did. But, the truth is I like you, too. And, I don't regret being attracted to you. There's a genuiness about you...I know I'm talking too much right now. Word vomit. Ugh!" She hid her face in her hands. "I know I have no right to be saying theses things, but I'm nothing if I'm not honest. And, I'm not ashamed of it. I don't go around kissing other men. I've never cheated on Gale nor do I plan to. I am attracted to you, though. I just want you to know that."

"I figured as much...that this isn't a habit of yours. And just for the record, I have never gotten this personal with a client. I consider it highly inappropriate and unprofessional and a part of me is ashamed of myself for kissing you. But, I'm drawn to you for some reason. We met under strange circumstances. If the situation were different, I would definitely be asking you out right now. I'd be telling you that I'd like to get to know you better. I'd ask my friends, namely Jo, if they thought you were attracted to me or if I even had a chance. I wouldn't be satisfied with just being your friend until we'd exhausted all other possibilities. Only then would I settle for being your friend."

"But, I  _am_  a married woman and you  _are_  my P.I."

"Exactly."

"So, what does my P.I. say?"

"He apologizes, but he's lost all ability to be objective. He lost it the minute he saw those two together next door. He will package your video and photographic evidence for you and have it ready for you when when you are ready to see it. Beyond that, he's pretty much useless."

"What about my friend, then?"

"That's a lot of questions. You're going to owe me." She wondered if that half smirk had more hidden behind it than he would readily admit.

"I'm good for it," she shot back. "Answer the question."

"Okay. Don't do anything rash or drastic for a few days. Take some time to really figure out what you want. Easier said than done, I know. But, trust me on this. You have every right to be angry, but don't let your anger guide your decisions. If you feel yourself getting wound up, go for a long run, get drunk, punch a pillow or something. Things take on new meaning in the light of day when you're back in your normal routine. Take some time to think about what you want from life."

At some point, Peeta had taken up a reclining position, lying on his side facing Katniss. He let out a yawn and drew his hands over his head. Katniss felt her own eyes getting heavy. She would deal with the Gale situation in the morning. Right now, she was preventing Peeta from sleeping and felt mighty guilty.

"I think we need to get some sleep." She lowered her body further and drew the covers up to her chin.

"Oh. And one more thing. Don't delete my number. P.I. Peeta may be useless, but Friend Peeta is pretty awesome."

"Yes, he is." The last thing she remembered seeing before sleep claimed her was a pair of generous and caring blue eyes that stared across the darkness at her.

* * *

Peeta knew instantly when he woke the next morning that she was gone. The coolness of the sheets next to him indicated that she'd risen a while ago. He must have fallen asleep next to her as they talked the night away. He glanced over to the corner of the room, knowing that the duffel she tossed there the previous night would be gone as well. And it was. Me let out an exasperated sigh and sat up, looking around for other telltale signs. Clean as a whistle. As if she'd never been there. Was yesterday just a dream?

He swung his legs over the side of the bed and sat up slowly just as Sal bounded into the room with his tongue hanging precariously from his mouth. Sal stopped short at the sight of his master with lines of worry etched into his forehead. He sat back on his haunches and gave a little whimper as if to say, "You okay, Peet?"

"C'mere, boy." Sal loped over and nudged his best friend's leg for a scratch between the shoulder blades. "She's gone."

Peeta dressed quickly in jeans and a clean tshirt before fixing himself a quick breakfast. When he passed through the living room, he did a quick survey of the condo driveway just to make sure she hadn't just packed her things in the car and taken a stroll down to the beach. Her rental car was gone. And from the looks of things, Gale's car was gone too. His mind reeled with the possibilities of what could've happened after he fell asleep.

_Did she go over and have makeup sex with him?_

_Did he leave and follow Madge?_

_Did Katniss stay here through the night?_

At the heart of it all was the glaring reminder that he had no control over this situation.  _You got no dog in this fight, Peet._  His dad, in his Southern wisdom, would tell him that if he were here. He turned towards the coffee maker. That's when he saw the note.

_What happened between us last night is never to be spoken of outside of these walls._

_Not even to Jo. I have made such a mess of my life, Peeta, and I need to make it right._

_Thank you for all you've done. You've saved my life in more ways than you know._

_-K_

He stared at the note, reading it several times over before tucking it into his pocket and turning to Sal. That's when he realized she'd taken the time to fill the dog's water and food bowls. A small smile graced his lips at what was likely the last evidence that she'd even existed. He packed his things and headed back to L.A. to prep his evidence.

_Should he call her?_

_Should he deliver the evidence?_

_Was it even any good considering she'd seen practically everything first hand?_

_Would she need it for a divorce case?_

_Or...would she stay with Gale?_


	15. Call Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I posted this a couple of weeks ago on ff.net, but totally forgot to update here. Horrors! I apologize for taking forever and a day to update. Apologies won't do, I know. I've never left a fic unfinished and I'm not about to start now. Notice the time since Peeta and Katniss have seen each other? It's the same amount of time since my last update. [Runs and hides.]

Five months. Twenty-seven days. Fourteen hours. Thirty-two minutes. He'd have remembered that day down to the seconds if he'd been wearing a stopwatch at the time. That's how long it had been since he last saw Katniss. He'd done his best to just do his job, mail her the evidence like he would any client, and wait until his services were needed again. But, Katniss Hawthorne had not been just _any_ client. She nudged a part of him that had been sluggish ever since Delly left. He was starting to question whether it had ever been truly awakened by _any woman_ before her. He'd never obsessed over anyone like this.

There was something about her kind of authentic beauty that he looked for in every woman he met. Most of them didn't have it. Delly seemed to have it when they were younger, but gladly relinquished it in favor of a boob job and Botox. The skanks Johanna tried to hook him up with didn't have it. Annie was the only one who came close to what he wanted in a woman. She represented a quiet strength and a graceful beauty that went beyond cosmetics, clothing and anything external. But, he didn't feel that way about Annie. And besides, she was married to his best friend.

And then he'd met Katniss. A client. A married client. A married client in an unhappy union with a cheating husband. Peeta had carefully placed the thumb drive with photos and videos of Gale and Madge in a protected, sealed package and mailed it to the P.O. Box Katniss had instructed him to use. That had been five months and twenty-five days ago. He had not heard from nor seen her since the night at the beach condo. The night he crossed a serious line and awoke to find her gone, with only a note as compensation.

He spent the three weeks after leaving the seaside in Long Beach pretending that his stomach wasn't twisted in knots every time the phone rang. Or that his heart didn't pound like a jackhammer every time the door to the office opened. He resigned himself to pretending that every spark, every look between them had just been his imagination, the result of being single and lonely for nearly a year now. That there was never anything there except an attentive investigator and a neglected wife having a momentary lapse in judgment that was so wrong on so many levels that neither of them would ever speak of it again.

He tried, but failed miserably most of the time, to not think of her. When he couldn't get her off his mind, he baked and painted. But, he always ended up baking her favorite cheese buns or painting what looked like warm grey eyes atop a slightly freckled nose or a wayward braid blowing in the wind. When he got really frustrated, he quelled his thoughts with a six-pack just so he could get some sleep. When that didn't work, his hand would somehow find it's way into his sleep trousers in the dead of night as his mind conjured images of an olive-skinned torso writhing above him as glassy, black strands tickled his face while he pounded into a wetness that was sweetly unfamiliar.

On really desperate nights, when the loins ached just as much as the lonely heart, he even thought about calling Glimmer or some other girl that could take his mind off of a woman he had less-than-zero chance with. But, he'd always called Finnick instead, the one person who truly understood what he wanted. Each time the urge hit him to bury his loneliness in the body of some clueless woman looking for love more desperately than he, he'd call his best friend and get a swift reminder of the life he'd been holding out for all along. Finnick was beyond happy with Annie, the love of his life, and their busy little boy, Finn Jr. Just hearing the chaos on the other end of the phone sent a pang of joy-infused jealousy through his being. His sadness at not having this part of himself fulfilled was only tempered by an unmatched happiness for his friend. It was always enough to convince him that fucking some girl for the night would sate his libido but do little to cure his loneliness. In fact, it was more likely to make it worse when he'd have to look into a pair of expecting eyes the next morning as he hastily helped _whomever-she-was_ look for her clothes strewn about the room.

_"Just be patient, dude. It'll happen. I went through women like pocket money before I met Annie. And I've always regretted it. Just go jerk off or something."_

_"Thanks for the sage wisdom, old man._ " Peeta shook his head at his friend who'd never quite had a way with words.

So, after saying his ' _goodbyes_ ' and ' _miss yous_ ' he'd go into the shower and jack off again. As much as he hated to admit that Finnick was right, Finnick was right. It wasn't worth it. Casual sex had always left him feeling empty and a little bit ill. He didn't want that. He'd had his brush with that after Delly and had no intention of revisiting it. He would just be patient.

So...

Five months, twenty-seven days, fourteen hours and thirty-two minutes since he last saw Katniss and he was finally looking forward to meeting this cute little redhead for coffee. He'd met her in a wine tasting class that he'd attended with Haymitch out of sheer boredom, but had been pleasantly surprised at how much he'd enjoyed talking to her. She was paler than he usually liked, but she was reasonably attractive and very intelligent. Though she was no Katniss, she had a quiet, understated sexiness that he found attractive. After being goaded all night by Haymitch, he'd finally asked if she'd meet him for coffee the next weekend and she'd gladly accepted. Coffee was harmless. Coffee, he could do.

Tonight would be the night he'd stop licking his wounds over his failed attempts to find love and just throw himself out there to have fun. His case load was enough to keep him plenty busy, but he still had time for a little diversion here and there. As he tidied his desk to head into the weekend, the intercom button on his desk phone flashed.

"Boy, you've got a visitor out here." His brow crinkled in confusion as he pressed the speaker button to respond.

"I'm not expecting anyone and I'm about to head out. Send them to Jo."

"She's a looker, but okay," Haymitch reluctantly agreed.

Peeta breathed a sigh of relief as he had more than enough cases and woman troubles to keep him occupied at the moment. One more of either, and he'd officially go nuts. He crossed the room to grab his satchel from the small two-cushioned sofa he kept in his office when he heard the familiar beep once again. He crossed the office to press the talk button and spoke with thinly-disguised annoyance, "Yeah, Haymitch?"

"The young lady does not want to see Jo. She says you know her. A Miss Everdeen?"

"I don't know anyone by the name of Everdeen, Haymitch. Please handle this. My weekend starts…now." Peeta glanced down at his watch and realized he was to meet Lavinia for coffee in twenty minutes.

He heard the old man's barely stifled grumbling across the wire and proceeded to grab for his bag once again. Before he could reach across the desk to shut down his laptop, he looked up to see Haymitch's greasy blonde locks sandwiched between the door and its frame.

"I don't know what's going on, Romeo. Either she's as dumb as a slug or she's somebody you've shagged and forgotten. But, she insists that you know her and that she needs to see you before she moves out of town. For good."

Peeta glanced at his watch and sighed in exasperation as he realized he was probably going to be late for his date.

"What'd you do? Knock somebody up?" the older man smiled with deviant mirth.

"Just shut your face and show her in, Haymitch."

He hastily banged out a text message to Lavinia, apologizing and asking her to please hold tight, as he signaled to Haymitch to show the person in. He barely glanced up from his text as she walked through the door.

Then he looked up. And there she stood. After five months, twenty-seven days, fourteen hours and forty-one minutes. Peeta knew instantly that there was no way he was going to handle this smoothly.

There she stood, her cheeks reddened, gripping the strap of a tan cross-body bag like it was her lifeline. She wore a pair of sleek, dark-grey cropped pants with a green tank top and flat sandals. He always thought her simple, casual style suited her beauty more than the done-up version her husband, Gale, had preferred. Her hair hung loosely around her shoulders, creating a soft curtain along her back.

Katniss felt all of her mustered-up courage crumble under those blue eyes that carried just a twinge of hurt and uncertainty, for which she felt responsible. But, still his concern for her shone through and she realized she'd never found anyone more sexy. Not even Gale. The sleeves of his baby-blue oxford were rolled up to his elbows, showing of his muscled forearms just the way she liked. The grey slacks, which were coincidentally the same color as her pants, hugged his hips in a way that most men could not pull off. All men wore pants. But, few wore them like Peeta Mellark. His sexiness was effortless. The fact that he was mostly unaware of just how hot he was made him all the more desirable. And Katniss was sure he was not short on pursuers.

Neither of them spoke for what seemed like minutes. They each seemed to be interpreting the knowing in the eyes of the other, yet too afraid to be the first to speak and admit their own fault in this drama. Peeta didn't know if he should play it professional or be the friend he thought he'd become. In his indecision, he did neither. He couldn't do anything except stand there and stare at her, hoping that the hurricane in his chest wasn't visible.

She was the first to break, "Hey."

"Hi. I-I'm sorry, but when Haymitch said Everdeen..." The words rushed out of his mouth like a gust of air.

"It's okay," Katniss waved him off. "Took some getting used to...going back to my name but I tend to forget that not everyone knows me by it."

He realized the phone was still suspended in his hands and placed it on his desk.

"Everdeen, huh? So you're...?" He never knew her maiden name. Peeta found himself clumsily gesturing towards her left hand, where her wedding ring would've been and tried to act as if it was ' _such a shame_ '.

"Divorced. Yeah," Katniss laughed awkwardly and fanned her hand back and forth. "All the single ladies. Now put your hands up." The joke fell flat. ' _God, I'm such an asshole,_ ' she chided herself. ' _Filter, Katniss. Filter!_ '

"So, how've you been? Since, I mean?" Thoughts of Lavinia and all the work he'd done to try and forget Katniss seemed to be slipping away and he couldn't do a damn thing about it.

"Not bad actually," she replied. Peeta wasn't sure what that meant. She looked uncomfortable enough, so he decided to forego any unnecessary questions.

"How about you?" She directed the question back at him.

"I've been okay, I guess. Busy." He didn't dare tell her his true thoughts. ' _Thinking of you every time a phone rang, or a car door slammed or a dark haired woman crossed my field of vision. I can't even watch the Lakers without thinking of you_ '. He was certain that divorce had complicated her life enough without his further assistance. It wouldn't be right to just spring his feelings on her. And besides, who's to say she felt the same?

"I figured." As soon as Katniss had decided that she couldn't leave town without seeing Peeta, she'd rehearsed over and over what she'd say to him. All of that turned to mush inside her stupid head at the moment. The best she could come up with under the circumstances, besides the dumbass Beyoncé joke, was, "I should've called."

Peeta's shoulders slumped as more pent up air left his body. How many days had he sat at that desk and waited for her face to appear behind that door? Or for her name to pop up on his phone? Now that she was here, he had no clue what to say, what to do, or what to expect from her. His work had taught him to never assume anything. But, that night, that kiss, their times together all came rushing back in an attempt to show him that he had not simply imagined it all.

' _Don't assume she's here to confess her feelings for you_.'

"It's okay, Katniss. I thought about calling you, but thought better of it. I didn't know what to do and your note was pretty final. I only wanted to know if you were okay." The lie hurt, but it was necessary. Of course he'd wanted more than that. ' _I wanted you to pour your heart out to Gale and tell him that you didn't care that he was cheating with your friend and that you were never meant to be. And that you wanted to see where things could go with me. And then come find me at my apartment, climb onto my lap and kiss me senseless._ '

"I see." She actually looked disappointed. ' _What did you expect, for him to run into your arms the minute you walked through the door like they do in those dumbass movies Prim loves? That's not how this shit works. This is real life, Katniss. The-guy-rushing-in-to-stop-the-girl-from-leaving-town-as-the-last-box-is-being loaded-on-the-truck is for fucking fairy tales. This is the real deal. You were a married woman and you crossed the line. Guys like Peeta Mellark always have options. They don't need to chase scatterbrained divorcees who don't know what the hell they want. Get over it and move on._ '

"You don't owe me an explanation for why you didn't call, Katniss."

"But, I do owe you an explanation for my behavior. I crossed the line and then just...left without explaining."

"Katniss, it's okay..."

"Please let me finish, Peeta, or I'll chicken out." She cleared her throat and continued, "I know what it looked like…that night. The kiss...a-and everything. I'd made such a mess of things, and I was angry and confused. I didn't want you to be dragged into my…my shit. Gale and I splitting would've happened either way. Whether he cheated or not. It took me months to realize that. His cheating just helped it along, so to speak. But, I never wanted you to think that you contributed to any of it. He and I were all wrong as a married couple. I never felt comfortable in my marriage, but I felt I owed it to Gale to make it work. I mean, isn't that what we always hear? Marriage is hard work? I needed to be sure. I needed to sort things out and make them right without dragging anyone else down with me."

"Katniss, you were a married woman and a client, for God's sake." He raked his hands through his hair and paced nervously across the floor. All the words he'd been dying to say came flooding out and he wasn't even sure they sounded right. "I crossed a serious line and I was embarrassed and afraid that I'd ruined everything. I was pissed at myself for not only putting your case in jeopardy, but also the reputation of the agency. Jo worked hard to build this and I didn't want to embarrass her."

"Of course." The realization that ' _ruined everything_ ' for him meant his professional reputation, and not the time they'd shared. She felt like an idiot and chastised herself.

Almost as if she were speaking to herself, she muttered "What was I thinking?" She had been worried that she'd hurt his feelings by running away and it was his professional reputation he was concerned about. "Peeta, I'm so sorry." She cradled her forehead in her hand as the veil of stupidity lifted, "I'm so stupid. Please forgive me. I'm the one who crossed the line. I'll not say a word of this to Jo, or anyone for that matter. This will remain just between us. You won't hear from me again. I just wanted…to stop and tell you how things turned out and to thank you before I leave."

"What's this about you leaving?"

"Gale was very generous in the divorce. I didn't want any of his money, but he insisted and, frankly, I needed it. I bought a little place about 4 hours north of here, near Salinas, in a little farming community." She waited for his reaction, but he was still sorting all this out. "I have some money saved from my dad's property sale that Prim insists that I use for myself for once. I have a few months to decide what I'm going to do before I'm completely broke. I don't know what I'll grow, but it will be something: vegetables, herbs, flowers. I haven't decided yet, but I'm really excited about the possibilities. Victor and I leave in a couple of days."

Peeta didn't know what to think or how to feel. Katniss was afraid to stop talking but, at the same time wanted desperately to run and hide. So she rambled on and on about her potential new life. She was positively beaming, the blush making her olive complexion a dusty rose. His fingers itched to stroke her cheek and tell her that all would end well; that she'd made the right decision.

"So you're leaving Los Angeles?" She nodded.

In the end, he decided to say what any friend would say, "I'm happy for you, Katniss."

And he was happy that she was getting to live the life she wanted. Who was he to throw a ringer in her game by confessing a stupid crush, because that's all it was, right? She was obviously leaving town to distance herself from everything she'd experienced here. Him included.

Her smile faltered for half a second before the realization of a new life put it back on again, "Thanks."

She inhaled deeply and fought the urge to hug and kiss him goodbye, "Well, I'd better be going. You look like you were heading out and I've got a ton of stuff to do." Everything about this moment was awkward.

"Yeah, I'm meeting some friends, but it's okay. They'll wait." He felt like such an ass for leaving Lavinia hanging but, he just _couldn't_ seem to break this hold Katniss had on him.

"I'm glad you stopped by."

"If you're ever in the Salinas area, look me up."

"I will."

Her eyes locked with his before faltering as she turned for the door, "Good-bye, Peeta."

"Wait, Katniss." He rifled through his drawer for a notepad. "I don't know how to contact you."

"Give me your phone."

He navigated to his contacts and pulled her up before handing it over to her. She proceeded to edit her new last name, new cell phone number and address. For thirty seconds he stared at her unashamedly as she typed her information in. He memorized the curves of her face and the tone of her skin because he didn't know if he'd ever see her again. She wanted to make sure her information didn't end up on some scrap of paper that got tossed out by the cleaning crew or washed away in his laundry.

"There. No excuses for not calling me, now." She handed the phone back to him, causing their fingers to brush lightly against each other. Peeta used the brief contact as an opportunity to reach out and pull her in for a hug. She felt the ground shift beneath her ever so slightly as she anchored herself to him. She was afraid that this was very likely the last time she would see him. Ever. The lost possibilities were just a part of the casualties of divorce. She hugged him back, but wouldn't allow herself to sink too far into his touch. She couldn't handle it right now. She wasn't even sure why she'd come in the first place. She swallowed her feelings along with the stone in her throat and told herself she'd get past this along with everything else. That her feelings were just misplaced emotions that used to be directed at Gale.

"I really do wish you the best, Katniss." He inhaled the fresh scent of strawberries and vanilla that he was sure would fuel his fantasies later that night. He wondered if she could feel the pounding in his chest and silently hoped that she could sense he was too chicken-shit to tell her how he _really_ felt. The hug was brief, but electric. Much to his surprise, she leaned up on her tip toes and quickly placed a soft kiss near the corner of his mouth before turning and rushing out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a review.


	16. Find Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to all of you who continue to follow this story in spite of my not updating often. Know that I think of these characters every single day. I made a major move after being in the same place for fifteen years in October. I then spent the rest of the holiday season getting my crap together on the home-front. Today is the first day that I've gotten to sit down for more than just a few minutes to really write. Please forgive in advance for any grammatical or continuity mistakes as I do not have a beta. I hope you enjoy this chapter. As you probably know by now, I like drawing things out between these two. Please leave a review or feedback. I promise I'll try and get the next one up sooner. We have a few chapters to go before I say night-night to this version of EverLark.

Haymitch was jarred awake by a stream of dark hair and a whiff of vanilla scent as Katniss whizzed by him. He was still dreamily contemplating what had just happened when, ten seconds later, Peeta hurried by with his computer bag on his arm, headed just as hurriedly in the same direction.

The older man simply smirked, "Just as I thought. Shagged and forgotten."

Ten seconds.

That's how long it took Peeta to recover from the shock of that seemingly innocent goodbye kiss. He stood there ghosting his fingers over the spot where her lips had left a definite tingle. The sensation traveled deep within his skin and nestled itself in the pit of his stomach. Thoughts of that night came flooding back like muscle memory.

_What if that night on the beach was just about her angst over Gale and what was to come? Or worse, just a way to get back at her cheating husband._

_What if that innocent kiss she just planted on me was really meant to just say 'thank you and goodbye'?_

_But...what if that kiss wasn't intended to be innocent?_

He didn't know whether he was relieved to see her again or pissed that she showed up just as he'd done the work required to move on and forget about her. It took him about half of those ten seconds to decide that he was being thick-headed. One word kept looping in his brain.

 _Single_.

She said she was _single_ now. Surely, he didn't want to be rude to Lavinia, who was a nice lady. But, he couldn't let Katniss get away from him without taking this one chance to make his true feelings known. It was no longer inappropriate to feel this way, and she needed to know how he felt. Else he'd have just taken one step forward and two giant steps back, because he surely would not be able to get her off his mind for another agonizing six months. He decided that even if he had misread her signals and she threw his efforts back in his face, it would be a hell of a lot easier to get over than the _wondering_. The _not knowing_ sucked. Armed with that and the boldness that loneliness had forged within him, he ran after her.

But, he was too late. The doors of the elevator shut just as he raced towards them. "Shit!" His voice echoed down the quiet hallway of the office building where he and Jo rented space. A blonde-haired woman, who had one side of her head shaved and tattooed, appeared in the doorway of one of the office suites.

"Everything alright?" She looked at Peeta questioningly.

"Yeah. Yeah. Missed the elevator. Sorry." She cocked an eyebrow at him and disappeared behind the door from which she'd come without another word. He couldn't care enough to be embarrassed right now. He had to catch Katniss and the elevator was not responding to his incessant pressing of the buttons.

"Fuck," he whispered this time as the realization dawned on him of an alternate route. "Stairs!" His feet carried him to the exit door before the tiny voices of doubt grew loud enough to be heard.

_Did she park in the garage or on the street?_

_How do you expect to locate her in a 6-level parking garage, idiot?_

He'd made it down three flights of stairs before another realization hit him.

_She put her new cell number in my phone!_

He paused, out of breath, on the landing of the next flight and fished his phone from his pocket. He felt like he was being ridiculous. Chasing after a barely divorced woman with whom he'd shared one torturous kiss nearly six months ago. Where was the sanity in that? Just the same, he found her contact information and pressed the number.

He had to think quickly of something intelligent to say. What does one say in situations like this?

_Hi, Katniss. It's Peeta. Look, I know you just divorced your philandering husband and are packing up to move nearly 300 miles away. But, would you consider going out with me sometime? I'll make it worth your while._

Of course not. He wasn't sure what he would say, but speaking under pressure was something he'd mastered as the one Mellark boy who always seemed to be in trouble with his mother. And one thing his detective work had taught him was to put doubt in its proper place until the evidence surfaced.

He had to see for himself if there was anything between the two of them before she moved so far away. And he had to see her face when he told her how he really felt. Although he had not spent every single day with her while working on her case, he'd seen her through one of the most difficult situations anyone could ever experience. She was as strong and graceful under stress as she was beautiful. He couldn't deny that her physical beauty was what had drawn him in at first sight. But, getting to know her and being around her had sealed his fate as an official goner.

_Katniss Hawth-. No, Everdeen. Katniss Everdeen._

He smiled as the phone lit up with the outgoing call. He was glad she'd decided to go back to her maiden name. He said it one more time as the phone rang on the other end.

It went to voicemail.

* * *

Katniss' heart was pounding like a jackhammer.

_Did I really just flirt with Peeta Mellark? Furthermore, did I just FAIL at flirting with Peeta Mellark?_

She couldn't get out of there fast enough. Peeta's shocked expression after she kissed him was enough to make those doubts come swimming back from their shallow depths. Thank God the elevator was parked on their floor and it was empty. Her face was so flushed she probably would've collapsed into tears if anyone had been on it with her. She impatiently tapped her foot as she reached the level with the parking garage crosswalk.

_He's an attractive single guy with everything going for him. He probably has clients throw themselves at him all the time. Why would he even be interested in my baggage?_

Katniss quickly found her car and jumped into it, not believing the way he just stood there. Perhaps she'd imagined his interest on that last night. Of course she did. What other explanation could there have been? Peeta was just being a friend to a friend in pain. She was the one, after all, who'd straddled him and shoved her tongue down his throat. What's a guy to do? NOT get a little stiff in the pants? She sat there batting her thoughts around and letting her heart rate settle. When everything finally settled into place, she leaned her head on her steering wheel and cursed herself.

_How could I have been so stupid?! I'm going to suck at this being-single thing._

She knew she was taking a chance by showing up at his office. She felt badly about the way she'd left things at the beach. But to assume Peeta felt the same was obviously a stupid assumption. After she'd left the beach, the drive home was one of the most difficult journeys she'd ever made. Not as difficult as her drive to the hospital to see her father for the final time. Not even as hard as driving to the morgue to identify her mother's body after she was found with the muzzle of a gun in her mouth while she and Prim were away at school.

Still, it had been hard. Prim and Gale, as well as his family, were the only constants during that dark period in her life. And she felt heavily invested in those relationships. She realized that thanks to the work she'd done in her support group the last couple months. She sat there thinking about the last few months and all that she'd been through to arrive here, her last night in Los Angeles.

* * *

_She'd arrived home before Gale the morning after seeing him at the beach with Madge. When he walked through the door looking tired and disheveled, he found Katniss at their kitchen table staring at a plate of soggy pancakes laced with tears. He met her eyes, so similar to his own, and knew in an instant that she must know._

_"Katnip..."_

_She immediately jumped up from the table and dashed out of the patio door, unable to stand being under the same roof with him. She'd had every jab, every move, every word planned before she saw his stupid face. Now, she couldn't even bring herself to say a fucking word. She stopped in the middle of their small backyard where Victor was mutilating a rubber ball and just stared at the fence. Her chest heaved up and down with anger and tears flowed from her eyes. But she couldn't form a single word._

_Gale had apparently dashed after her because there he was grabbing her elbow and trying to turn her around. Why the fuck was he touching her? She snatched her elbow from his grasp and leveled him with a look that made him lean back an inch or so._

_"Why the fuck are you touching me?"_

_His eyes were the saddest she'd ever seen. He held shaking hands out towards her, palms up, as if he were approaching a wounded animal and wanted to show he meant no harm. He took his voice down an octave, "Katnip, please. The neighbors."_

_"Fuck the neighbors," Katniss hissed between clenched teeth. "And fuck you. Maybe everyone needs to know what a pig you are!"_

_"Katniss, I'm so...so sorry." He only called her Katniss when it was serious. She could count on one hand the number of times he'd done it._

**_'Katniss, there's been an accident...'_ **

**_'Katniss, I have an important question to ask you.'_ **

**_'I, Gale, take thee, Katniss.'_ **

_A lone tear slid down his cheek. But, all Katniss could see was white-hot anger._

_"She's my fucking friend, Gale! My **only** fucking friend besides you!" She turned her back to him, wishing for her woods and her father's bow, right now. Those two things had always calmed and centered her when life got dark and shaky._

_He let out a trembling breath and searched the corners of their yard for some hidden answer to spring up out of the ground. "I didn't mean it to happen that way."_

_She turned on him so fast, her braid was whipped off her shoulder, "Then how did you mean it to happen, Gale? Did you plan to just fuck her and stay married to me? Or were you going tell me after you tested her pussy out?"_

_Each accusing question brought her an inch closer to Gale. He flinched with each word as if he'd been struck by a foreign object._

_"Did you think we'd have some sick little threesome? What the fuck were you thinking?!"_

_"Thats the problem. I **wasn't**...thinking. Just feeling." She could barely make out his lips moving._

_"Now I know why you haven't wanted to have sex with me."_

_His face seemed to brighten momentarily with some new hope, "No, we've not done that yet." The last word was out before he could stop it, the wince on his face a sign that he knew he'd made an even bigger mistake._

_"Yet!?"_

_"I didn't mean th..."_

_"So the fact that you're standing here with blue-balls is all thanks to Madge not completing the transaction? Our vows mean nothing to you?" Why an image of Peeta popped into her head at that very moment was a question she couldn't have answered at the time._

_"How'd you know it was Madge who didn't want to?"_

_"I wouldn't be worried about that right now if I were you."_

_He nodded in compliance, stuffed his hands in his pockets and kicked at a patch of grass, "We never had sex, Katniss. But, I won't insult you by lying..."_

_"Especially when the truth is so fucking obvious."_

_"That's why we met..."_

_The tears started again and she couldn't bear the thought of him seeing her like this. She turned back for the house, eager to get as much distance between her and Gale as possible. She couldn't stay here any longer._

_"Katniss, wait!" He caught up to her. There he was, touching her again and making her skin burn. And not in the good way. She looked down at where his fingers held lightly onto her shoulder._

_"It's not you, Katniss, I promise. It just didn't feel right...us being together like that, knowing I was confused."_

_"Oh, I get it, Gale," she turned to face him fully, suddenly feeling braver. "In some sick way, you felt like you would've been cheating on **her** with **me**." Her words were received like the slap in the face they were intended to be. He took a step backwards and slumped into one of the kitchen chairs they'd picked out together._

_Katniss packed a bag and left so hurriedly, she forgot about Victor. Besides, she knew Gale would take care of him. She sat up most of the night on the balcony of her hotel room, listening to the bustling of life below. She wished she could talk to someone. Cecilia had become sort of a surrogate mother to her, but this was far too deep to confide in your cleaning lady. Prim was busy with medical school and her own relationship. She wasn't about to rain on her little sister's parade after all she'd been through. And she'd snuck out on the one other person who ever made her want to bear her soul. The one person who'd helped her reach the truth. Hired or not, Peeta was a friend. Now, she'd gone and fucked that up by kissing him and confusing everyone. Including herself._

_Gale called all night long, but she never answered._

_Peeta texted once: **Is everything okay?**_

_She never answered._

_She stayed in that room for a day and a half before solitude and boredom, as well as a disdain for hotel food, forced her out. Her plan was to go home while Gale was away at work (with Madge), check on Victor, and get some more clothes. She needed a few more days to figure things out. But, the realization that she was paying for all of this with a credit card that Gale had provided her with didn't feel right. It didn't feel like her._

_Victor seemed happy to see her when she arrived. She pulled him onto her lap and sat on the ground rocking back and forth._

**_When did I lose myself? When did I become so dependent upon him for my very survival?_ **

_She decided it was time to call Prim and let her know that she needed to use some of the money they received from their father's life insurance and from the sale of their farmland in Kentucky. The very money she'd been so tight-fisted with because it was reserved for Prim's education. Prim was pissed beyond belief at Gale, but more than anything she was insistent that Katniss use as much of the money as she needed._

_'I can cut back on a few things, sis. I only have two more years left. I can get a part-time job, for chrissakes. But, I can't let you live like this. Tell Gale to go fuck himself.'_

_She didn't waste anytime, and by the end of the week she'd found an apartment that accepted pets. Gale tried several times to persuade her to work on their marriage together. But, each trip back to their house to get some of her things left her feeling lighter. She left the keys to the Mercedes he'd bought her on her last trip and called a rental car service to bring her a compact until she could find a cheap one of her own._

_She used some of her and Prim's money to buy a fairly decent used car and landed a job at a nursery not far from her place. It was close enough that she could go check on Victor during her breaks. And if her car ever gave out, she'd still be able to get to work. Her apartment wasn't great, but it was hers. She decorated it the way she wanted. She cooked what she wanted in the evenings and watched ambitious indy movies with Victor on her lap every night._

_Her job at the nursery didn't pay much but she enjoyed it immensely. She was outside most of the day in the sunshine getting dirty and sweaty, a sight Gale had always hated. He'd insist she shower the minute she came in from gardening. He always wanted to see her plucked, preened and perfect. Like there were cameras following her around all the time or something. Now she stayed dirty and sweaty on purpose for as long as she could stand herself whenever she came home from work. Victor didn't seem to mind._

_Sae, who owned and ran the nursery, had hired her on the spot, thanks to her horticulture degree and natural love of plant-life._

_"There's something about you,girl. You're quiet, but I can see you got some pluck."_

_When, a few weeks later, Sae told her she was considering opening up another, larger nursery in Salinas and needed someone to manage it, Katniss was quick to let her know that she was not tied to Los Angeles in any way. The job would pay well enough to buy her own place and it would be far, far away from Gale._

_"I'm getting old and should be thinking about retiring, but this is an opportunity I can't pass up. I need someone to go start the place up. And...run it until after I retire." Katniss jumped at the chance, even if it meant she might be looking for work again in a few short years._

_She'd sit out on her tiny balcony after work with her bare feet propped up and a beer in her hand. More often than not, Peeta would pop into her head. More often than not, Gale would call trying to persuade her to see him. She still had not heard from Madge._

_The first three weeks after leaving were all about survival and getting on her feet. After the fourth week, she knew she needed to start thinking about divorcing Gale. He was more than agreeable when she called him back out of the blue one night to meet for dinner. She made a point to not pick a fancy place or dress up too much. She selected a little Italian restaurant near her that she'd grown to love. When she arrived, she was greeted with a hug from Caesar, the head waiter. He was a peculiar guy, with his too-white teeth and too-dark tan. His hair was always slicked back and died jet black, she was sure, to cover up the grey. His genuine nature starkly contrasted with the superficiality of his look. But, he was always kind to Katniss and took care of her even during those times when she'd fall short on paying for dinner._

_Gale was already seated, looking uncomfortable and dressed like he was going on a date. When he took in her faded jeans and sandals, she thought she saw his face fall just a tadbit. She took her seat across from him and he smiled nervously at her before the waiter came to offer them wine. They made awkward small talk while waiting for their food, which arrived, thankfully, rather quickly. Every now and again she'd see Caesar glance their way with a raised eyebrow as if to say, **'I'm here if you need me.'**   She was baffled by Gale acting as if this were some sort of trial separation. She learned, during dinner, that he'd even told the partners at his firm that she was visiting her sister for a while, ' **To spare us any embarrassment later.'**_

_'Asshole!' Katniss thought but didn't say._

_"I'm sure that went over well with Madge."_

_"Madge and I are over." He reached across the table and grabbed her hand, but she quickly snatched it back. "I ended it the day after you left."_

_She almost asked, but didn't, if Madge still worked for him. She decided that she didn't care anymore. She figured she may as well get this over with and not draw it out. Just rip off the bandaid._

_"Gale, I want a divorce." His face hardened as he clenched his jaw to stop the words he obviously couldn't say in public. Dark shadows played around his face as he seemed to be waiting for her to say something else. Realizing that she wasn't, he nodded his head and leaned back in his chair._

_"I'm not hungry all of a sudden. This place is a little rustic for my taste." He tossed his napkin onto his plate and left her with the bill. She realized the Gale she knew from back home would never have behaved that way. He'd changed and she'd allowed him to almost change her. As sad as she was to lose the connection to her past through him, she was also very relieved it was officially over._

_She didn't see him again until they were before the judge. Katniss had a court-appointed lawyer, since she had no real money. But, she didn't really need a high-priced attorney. The divorce was uncontested and Gale represented himself. He was very generous in the settlement in spite of Katniss insisting that she didn't want his money. But, he had a motive. As long as she didn't bring her proof of infidelity into the proceedings, he'd give her whatever she wanted. She couldn't believe it. But, then again, she could. He didn't want to risk the damage to his professional reputation. But, keeping the dirty details out of the courtroom also meant that the proceedings would go quickly. And that's what she wanted more than anything else._

_She still didn't want his money. But, Prim convinced her to only take enough to compensate for the three years she'd spent as a non-working spouse. So, Katniss relented. She calculated what her salary would have been had she started working right after college, multiplied it times three and handed the note to her lawyer to give to Gale._

_And as simply as it had started, it had ended._

_She knew she had a long road ahead of her to get back to who she was. It was Sae who'd convinced her to start attending a support group for the newly divorced at her church. She hated the public purging of feelings at first, but eventually she'd come to realize a few things._

_1\. She was much more sad about losing her friendship with Gale than she was about losing the marriage._

_2\. She had clung to Gale as a link to home, her past and her parents._

_3\. While she loved Gale, it wasn't the kind of love that sustains a marriage._

_4\. She hated disappointing those she loved and had sacrificed all that she was to care for them._

It wasn't until the dust had settled, about four months after that kiss at the beach, that she'd started to allow random thoughts of Peeta to come in. She was convinced that she was harboring some strange hero attachment to him. That it was because she felt rotten for leaving him the way she did after he'd helped her so much. Those things, however, didn't explain why she often dreamt of that kiss and awoke with moisture between her legs. Or why his image was the only one she conjured when she let her hands slip into her panties at night.

 _"I am single, after all. I'll have to take care of these things myself."_ Surely, she'd reasoned, it was because he was the only other guy she'd spent time with in recent memory besides Gale. It'd been a year since she'd had sex. This was natural, right?

Her rational mind seemed to accept this. But, her consciousness knew better. She decided that she would see Peeta one last time before leaving, but that she'd wait until the last possible minute to do so.

_"Why confuse myself? I'm single and horny. That's all."_

But when she saw him, standing there looking utterly delicious and dumfounded, all of that rationale went to shit. She banged her head on the steering wheel one more time before checking her rearview mirror and backing out of the space. She exited the parking garage, turned right and got on the freeway.

_"Get your shit together, Everdeen."_

She was on her way to Salinas to start a new life. She knew this was nuts, but perhaps now it'd be out of her system. She had one last stop to make before heading out of town.

She'd given up her apartment earlier that day and was staying in a hotel for the night. All of her stuff was stored in a moving van, ready to make the trip to Salinas early the next morning. She had a few things at the old place she'd shared with Gale, and he'd promised her that he'd stay away for the night so she could come and get a few keepsakes she'd left behind. This would be her last stop before going to the hotel.

She had been so wrapped up in her chastisement of herself, that she hadn't noticed the phone vibrating in her bag in the passenger seat. When she pulled into her old driveway and turned off the engine, she heard the short, soft buzzing that indicated either a text message received or a missed call. She only half-heartedly felt around in the darkened cavity for the phone, as she'd already spoken to Prim twice that day. She rarely spoke to anyone besides Prim these days, so her cell phone was primarily a tool of convenience, not connection. There were only two other people who'd cared enough in the past to call her at this hour. She'd recently divorced one of them. And the other was the reason she'd divorced the first.

She looked at the screen with annoyance, but gasped when she saw that it had been Peeta who'd called. She quickly hit ' **call back** '.

* * *

As Peeta entered the coffee shop, he saw Lavinia checking her watch and nervously glancing around. When she saw him, her face lit up instantly and seemed to relax. He rushed over to her with a slew of apologies tumbling from his lips.

"I'm so sorry. I got caught up at the office, but now I'm here." They embraced cordially before taking a seat at the table near the window, the very one she was occupying when he walked in. Peeta fished his phone from his pocket, sneaking a peek to see if maybe Katniss had returned his missed call. Nothing registered on his screen, so he placed the phone face up on the table beside him.

Lavinia was the first to break the ice. "That's fine. This is one of the rare nights when I don't have to put in extra hours. I'm glad you could make it. So, how was your week?"

Peeta leaned forward on the table, supporting himself casually with his forearms. His shirt was rolled up to the elbows, causing her to notice how toned and strong they were. He really was an attractive man. In addition to that, he seemed totally unaffected by just how hot he was. She felt she'd really hit the jackpot this time and silently thanked her friend Pollux for pushing her to go the culinary tasting that night.

They talked benignly about their jobs and annoying clients for a few minutes before a barrista approached them for their order. Lavinia didn't drink dairy, so she ordered a soy chai latte with an extra shot of chai. Peeta opted for an earl grey tea with milk, no sugar.

"So, you take your tea without sugar? And I can't get enough sugar in my chai..." She trailed off as she saw him checking the screen on his phone for what must've been the tenth time. She ignored it, but found it to be increasingly annoying. Rather than call him on it, she decided to plunge into another topic that would allow them to get to know each other better. They talked about their respective childhoods, where they were from, siblings and such, taking care to avoid anything too deep for a first date. Again, she noticed he would glance down at his phone occasionally and even swiped the lock screen a couple of times to check it.

No longer able to pretend, she decided to say something, "Okay, who is she?"

Peeta looked up from his phone with a startled, bashful expression, "Wha...?"

"The only time I've ever watched my phone obsessively like that was when I was either waiting to hear from a guy,..." she looked slyly at Peeta from underneath her lashes, implying that she'd done the same waiting for his call, "...or after a job interview. Which is it?"

"Well, it's certainly not a guy. I can tell you that," he chuckled.

She didn't seem to appreciate his humor, though, and implored, "C'mon, Peeta."

He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, trying to drum up an excuse, but decided to not be so inauthentic as to insult this woman. He released an agitated breath and ran his hands over his blonde curls. Lavinia was poised to receive whatever it was he was about to say.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to be so distracted. I don't want to waste your time, Lavinia." He leaned back in his chair with an air of exasperation over the fact that he was really about to ruin a good connection with her. Here he was, seated in front of an intelligent, down-to-earth, attractive woman. And he, Peeta Mellark, was seriously about to blow it over a 10-minute encounter with a newly-divorced former client who was moving four hours away. One that he wasn't even sure felt the same way as he did. He was certain he was losing his fucking mind. But, no rationale could quell the burning in his stomach that had started the day he met Katniss.

Lavinia fiddled nervously with her napkin, which was quickly taking on the shape of some hacked up origami figure. She looked at him from underneath dark red eyelashes, just slightly darker than her hair. "Just level with me. If you have someone, tell me. I don't want any drama." She leaned back in her chair and splayed her hands out in playful surrender, simultaneously dropping the mangled napkin on the table top.

"It's not like that...well, not exactly." Peeta took a deep breath and looked beseechingly at the woman in front of him, "Look, I'll be honest with you. Just today, someone that I thought I'd never hear from again popped back into my life. We never really gave things a chance because we couldn't. It was...complicated. A-and it just has me a bit on edge is all. This isn't fair to y-"

"Look, Peeta," she reached out and grabbed his hand. "I like you. And I think you like me, too. But, we're both adults here. It's perfectly logical that we'd each have some history. I just broke up with someone not long ago. I'm just trying to put myself out there and start meeting people again. That's why you ran into me at the tasting. I really like you, but I can tell your mind is somewhere else."

"I don't know what to say, Lavinia. I feel like such a jerk." She was already getting up and reaching for her purse, but Peeta rose to his feet to protest her leaving. Even if nothing was to come of this date, he really did like her and didn't want to insult her.

"It's okay, Peeta. Really. I appreciate your honesty."

"I'm so sorry. Please, l-let me make it up to you when I'm not so distracted."

"No, Peeta. Tell you what. You settle whatever it is you need to settle. If it's meant to be, I'll hear from you. Just...don't lose my number." She looked at him with a resigned expression and her head cocked to the side. "Although, now I really feel like I'm missing out. Most guys wouldn't have been that candid."

"I don't know if that's a good or bad thing," he replied. It was one of his mother's least favorite traits in him. She often told him, 'You don't always have to let the other person know what hand you're playing.' But, it was just who he was. That was a piece of himself he was not willing to relinquish.

"It's definitely a good thing. At least for the other woman," she couldn't help but chuckle, though she felt anything but jovial. "If it doesn't work out...give me call, okay?"

He knew that constantly apologizing would only aggravate the situation, so he kept his words to himself. After all he'd done to get himself back out there since Delly left and now since having a thing for Katniss, he was again screwing up the most legitimate date he'd had in months. But, one thing Peeta Mellark knew was his own heart. And he knew that all else would pale in comparison until he at least had a conversation with Katniss.

"For sure, Lavinia." Though something told him he wouldn't be calling her anytime soon. Katniss had left an indelible mark. She'd raised the stakes. She'd changed the game and he wasn't quite ready to settle right now. Maybe someday. Not now

* * *

He walked the woman outside and gave her a courteous hug goodbye before she headed for her own car. He shoved his hands in his pockets, wondering what to do next with a suddenly free Friday night, no plans and nothing to do besides think of Katniss.

_Would calling her again after leaving a message seem desperate?_

_Would it be entirely creepy to look up her old address in his files and show up at her place?_

He sauntered over to his car, wondering if he should kick himself for what had just happened. He lifted his keys out of his pocket and felt the familiar cold smoothness of his phone resting against his thigh. And as if she had some type of fucking radar, Katniss' name lit up the screen on his phone as he palmed it out of his pocket.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading. I hope this ties up a few loose ends so we can get to some EverLarK lovin'! Please leave a review and let me know if it doesn't totally suck.


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